The Saiyan Gamer
by HaiseKanekiV2
Summary: Sent to a long distant planet to conquer as a child, long since forgotten, Sprout has returned to the Saiyan planet victorious. Sadly that victory is pathetic. Belittled by his family and his entire race, he must use his little understood ability to rise to the top. Welcome to the Saiyan Gamer. AU/OC/Gamer
1. Game of Life

**A/N: ****Hello there! I'm here with another Gamer fic that came to mind a few weeks ago! I've been writing it for awhile, and have a few chapters already written, but I'll be releasing them slowly, so I have time to always be ahead. **

**This is a story about a Saiyan boy who randomly gets the Gamer ability. But with no video games on Planet Vegeta, he has absolutely no idea what's going on. Here's his adventures! I hope you enjoy.**

**Also, this is obviously AU! Haven't quite decided if canon events will happen like they did, but probably not!**

**Chapter 1****: Game of Life**

"Sprout, shut the fuck up about your video games nonsense, or I'm going to break your neck."

Well, I guess it wasn't a puberty thing, then.

I took a solid bite out of the giant dinosaur leg in my hand, devouring it in a few bites. I reached for a second dinosaur leg and took a solid bite into it, determined to devour as much as I could.

**HP Restored by 20% Due To Eating Well Cooked Food**

At this rate, I would never know what the hell stuff like that meant.

When I woke up this morning, the world was slightly different then before. Most importantly, these weird blue boxes kept popping up all around the place. When I woke up in the morning, there was a huge box that said the words 'welcome to the Video Game of Life'. And all day, I've been trying to figure out what a video game actually was.

So far, no luck.

"Sprout's going crazy! Maybe it's because it took him so long to destroy that weakling civilization!" My brother, who was sitting next to me on the table began to laugh harshly, tearing into his own piece of meat.

**Annoying Older Brother**

**Brussel - Level 10**

**Reputation: 500/1000 Disliked**

"Shut the fuck up. I bet you wouldn't be able to purge a planet if you didn't have a whole squadron behind you!" I growled back at him. I couldn't help myself. Even though I knew how he'd react.

Knowing the fist was going to hit me didn't really help the impact. I was launched off of my seat on the table and into the wall of the dining room, and didn't have much time to dodge as Brussel got on top of me and hit me again.

Little writing was popping up but I didn't have a chance to read it as I was being pummeled.

"Low class scum like you shouldn't talk back to elite warriors!" Brussel replied as he pounded my face in a few times. I tried to defend against him, but it wasn't much use. I just had to grit my teeth through the pain.

"Go on Brussel, kick his ass!" A smaller boy ran into the room, flipping and landing on the table. I was forced to look in his direction as a hard punch forced my neck to turn.

**Petulant Little Brother**

**Tuunip - Level 6**

**Reputation: 800/1000 Dislike**

"Get off the kitchen table, brat!" A loud and much deeper voice, shouted from the table, causing Tuunip to jump off the table quickly and rush over to watch the fight from up close.

Of course my Dad wouldn't care when I was getting all of my teeth bashed in. I was surprised it wasn't him giving the beating today, considering my blabbering on about this stupid video game thing. He _was_ the one that threatened to break my neck earlier.

**Disappointed Father**

**Omato - Level ?**

**Reputation: 100/500 Heavily Disliked**

I didn't need to see the floating thing to know that he was disappointed in me. After all, I was a low class warrior in an otherwise high ranked family.

Brussle was an elite-class Saiyan, and a strong one at that. Even Tuunip was born with a projection rate of having a pretty high power level when he was an adult. They believed that he'd be placed him in 1st-class, just below Elite. To make matters worse, my newest siblings, who were still in their birthing pods, had power levels that would land them in high classes too.

I, on the other hand, was born with a power level that was quite pathetic. It was especially embarrassing for my parents, if I recall him correctly, because my brother was so much more promising than I 'would ever be'.

So I was sent away, just like all the other low class children. I was lucky, though, landing on a planet with low level life forms. It still took me years and years to get back, unfortunately. They were easy enough to kill as I grew older and more accustomed to using my superior strength and ki, but there was a lot of them. Way too many.

Each Saiyan pod that is sent out with a low class child in it, is programmed in a specific way so that they can't return to Planet Vegeta unless there is absolutely no life forms left. Not one.

I was already 12 years old when I finally managed to get back to my people.

Something like that is usually unheard of. Typically, lower class children that are sent on purging mission are killed off before they can return. Either that, or they destroy most of the life forms within their first few years, and then return home.

My family had forgotten about me entirely, and were even disgusted that I'd taken so long to purge the planet. In my mother's own words, "you're barely a Saiyan if you took _that_ long to purge a single planet."

But I was a Saiyan. And I was going to prove it to them one day.

My thoughts were interrupted by a fist coming into my line of sight and hitting me hard enough for everything to go black.

* * *

I groggily faded back into consciousness, finding myself laying on the living room floor staring at the ceiling. I could feel a sticky substance covering me, recognizing it as blood, but strangely, I didn't feel as hurt as usual.

**You've Slept On The Floor! Health Restored by 75%! **

I stood up and murmured to myself, trying my best to ignore the weird blue box in front of me. I reached up to touch my face, and was surprised that most of the cuts on my face from Brussels assault was healed. Weirdly enough, there was still blood on my face… Did they put me in a rejuvenating tank? No they couldn't have, or else I would have woken up in one… Not like they would have put me in one for such a small beating, anyway.

**Ping! **

**A skill has been created due to a painful beating!**

**A skill has leveled up!**

**Pain Tolerance (Level 2 - 10.5%) Due to getting hit a lot, you're starting to get used to the pain! Soon enough, you won't feel it much at all!**

**Ping!**

**You've gained a small Zenkai Boost (0.1) due to getting knocked unconscious in a fight.**

Huh?

I heard my stomach grumble and frowned, instantly pissed off that my breakfast was interrupted. I looked back into the kitchen, only to find that my breakfast was gone. That was expected. I guess I'd have to go get some food on my own.

I grumbled to myself in irritation as I made my way out of the house, slamming the door behind me. As soon as I looked up at the people walking by, I was overwhelmed by the amount of blue boxes floating over everyone's head.

It was quite interesting to see all of the words, even if I didn't know what exactly any of it meant. Why were some people a higher level then others? What was a level?

Could other people see this stuff? Unlikely. My Father didn't seem to have any idea what I was talking about when I asked about it this morning.. Repeatedly.

Maybe the civilization that I destroyed really did do something to my brain while I was there? If so, I'd better not ask anyone else about this video game stuff… They'd just call me weak for getting my head 'messed up' by weaklings.

My stomach growling again brought me back to real life. I needed to get some food. What did I want to eat though? Chicken? Fish? Hmm.. Fish sounded good.

**Quest Alert**

**Go hunting for a big enough fish to satisfy your hunger!**

**Time Limit: None**

**Reward: 150 EXP, Fish**

**Failure: Starvation**

**Accept / Deny**

"Accept, I guess?" I said as I looked down at the weird new box that appeared in front of me. The box disappeared as soon as I spoke the words and I sighed.

A reward? Hmm… I wonder what experience meant?

**Ping!**

**Experience: By completing quests/missions and winning fights, you gain experience points! Enough experience points and you'll go up a level! A high level usually means a stronger opponent. Levels are also an important factor in how high your Power Level is.**

Oh? Experience could help me get my power level higher? Well, that didn't sound too bad at all! I mean, if this all was real and not in my head. And apparently the word 'quest' was another word for mission. That explained that, at least.

So this was almost like another form of training? It seemed like it. If this thing was right, maybe I'd able to catch up to my little brother at least. Then I wouldn't be looked down on like trash anymore. Maybe if I raised my power level enough, I'd get a higher status!

**Ping!**

**Status Sheet**

**Name: Sprout**

**Occupation: Gamer**

**Level: 1 (0/2000)**

**Race: Saiyan**

**Age: 13**

**HP: 1,400**

**Ki: 723**

**Strength: 7**

**Endurance: 10**

**Agility: 5**

**Intelligence: 8**

**Luck: 8**

**Energy Modification Level: 3.1**

**Points: 0**

**Power Level: 217**

What the hell?

I took a step back and scrutinized the box that just appeared in front of me. A status sheet? Why did it just appear? Something clicked in my mind and I had an idea. It must have been because I said the word status. Maybe? That was the closest I was going to get to an answer, anyways.

Was the sheet right? Or was it all made up by my imagination? I took a step towards it again and narrowed my eyes at it.

Well.. It certainly got my power level right. Disappointing. It was a few points higher, but I figured that was about right, considering the zenkai I would have gotten this morning.

My strength was 7? I'm guessing that was really bad. I wasn't sure, since I couldn't really compare it with anything, because I couldn't see other people's numbers. Or could I?

I felt a sudden pang of pain and mumbled under my breath. I could figure it out another time. I needed to go find some food or I was going to pass out… Again.

* * *

I was ready. This fish would be an easy catch! I hope…

I floated above the surface of the pink lake, carefully watching the creatures that were swimming underneath, while also ignoring the notifications telling me that my ki was draining away because I was flying.. I'd been watching one specific fish. It cast a huge shadow on the top of the lake, but that only made me even more eager to catch and eat it.

"Alright, here goes!" I urged myself on, before clenching my fists and taking a very deep breath. I stopped the ki flow that was allowing me to fly, letting gravity drag me down at high speeds into the cold water. As soon as I felt my whole body submerge, I ignited my ki again, propelling myself right in the direction that the fish was a second ago.

The water was extremely cold, despite the warm temperature of the planet. Planet Vegeta was almost always warm, but yet, the lakes always stayed cold. I liked it much better than the planet that I grew up on, though. It was always dark and cold there. That was partially why I didn't have much any trouble looking through the dark water around me as I approached the fish.

**Night vision LVL MAX (Max/Active) - Due to constant straining of your eyes in a dark world, your eyes have adjusted to pure darkness. Your visibility in the dark is 100% accurate.**

I ignored the notification as I finally reached the fish. I swam faster and propelled myself with ki, slamming into the side of the fish with both of my fists.

**-400 HP**

Huh? I didn't have much time to think about the weird box when said fish swiveled around in the gloomy depth, stirring up a cloud of bubbles. Strangely enough, the rapid movement allowed me to get a proper view of it.

It was about twice the size of an adult Saiyan, and much wider than that. Both of its eyes were milky white, which told me that it was blind. It was a dark shade of red, and unfortunately, it had _extremely _sharp teeth.

As I prepared for the fish to react, I noticed a small blue box above it's head too.

**Giglamarina Fish - Level 5**

**HP: 1600/2000**

**Description: A species of large growing aquatic life. They're similar to the Piranhas of Earth, but much, much larger, and much more dangerous.**

**Power Level: 200**

What's Earth? I didn't have much time to think about it, before the Giglamarina swam through the water and crashed into my body.

**-300 HP**

Ouch, I guess HP meant my health. The fish didn't stop there, though. It knew that it definitely had the size advantage and decided that the best way to kill me was to drown me by pushing me further down into the lake.

Crap! Crap! I was pressed up against the creatures face, unable to move much due to the speed in which we were travelling. I could see the surface above me becoming more and more dark…

I was _not _going to die like this! I was going to die like a true Saiyan warrior, in the heat of battle!

I could see the Giglamarina's milky right eye not too far from me, and quickly scooter myself closer. When I was close enough, I raised my hand above the eye and a ball of bluish energy formed.

**Ping!**

**Skill Created!**

**Ki Ball (LVL 1 - 0%/Active): Ki Ball is a very simple energy based attack, yet it is very useful. The base cost can be whatever you want. The amount of ki that you put into it equals the amount of damage that the attack will do! Be warned! The more Ki that you use, the slower the ki ball will be!**

I slammed the ball of energy into the fish's eyeball, digging as far as I could into the flesh before letting it explode. Green blood sprayed through the water and the Giglamarina reeled, throwing me off of it.

**\- 600 HP**

**Critical Hit! **

**-300 HP**

I was proud of my handiwork, as the monster thrashed in the water in front of me. But I was losing breath, so I needed to end this quickly. However, when I got ready to throw another ki ball, the fish suddenly blitzed towards me, opening its large mouth and catching my leg.

**-500 HP**

Sharp teeth sunk down hard into my leg, burying itself up to my bone. I screamed out in pain, before realizing my mistake. Water flooded into my lungs, choking me within a second of my mouth opening.

I needed to do something now!

The fish opened its mouth, probably intending to bite back down on my leg and cut it right off, but I had other plans. When I saw it's mouth opened, I formed a ki ball as quickly as I could, dashing it into the creatures mouth.

**Giglamarina Fish Defeated!**

**+200 XP Earned!**

**Quest Complete!**

**+150 XP earned! **

**Fish **

I quickly swam to the surface of the lake to spit out the water that was clogging my lungs. I felt a little dazed from the fight, but I was feeling better every second. Once I managed to catch a big enough breath, I swam back down and dragged the dead fish up to the surface with me.

"That was intense…" I mumbled to myself after about ten minutes of resting up. My leg still stung, but I figured that it was worth as I looked downat the dead fish that was laying on the bank of the lake with me. Now, all I'd have to do is bring it to town and trade it in for a huge meal. Or at least that was the plan until I saw three shadows hovering in the air above me.

"Aww, did little Sprout catch a fish? Such a big accomplishment!" The sarcastic voice that I wanted to hear least of all, rung in my ears. I cursed to myself before I looked up.

Three Saiyan teens flew above me, looking down at me with large grins. The one in the center had long black hair that reached his lower back, and dark eyes to match. He was the ringleader of this little group, and they always seemed to find me at the worst times.

**Talented Fighter**

**Cauliflo - Level 7**

**Reputation: 0/1000 Disliked**

"Are you proud of yourself? For catching such a small fish? How long did it take you? 10 minutes? 20?" Cauliflo asked me as his grin widened. They slowly hovered downwards until they landed on the ground a few feet away from me.

"Considering how weak he is, he's probably been out here all morning!" The teen on his left chuckled, much to my annoyance. He had a clean bald head, with thick brown eyebrows.

**Faithful Follower**

**Picklu - Level 6**

**Reputation: 0/1000 Disliked**

"Is that true, weakling Sprout? Have you been here all morning?" The boy on the other side of Cauliflo asked me, although he knew the answer anyways. His hair was a brown Mohawk.

**Muscular Bonehead**

**Taro - Level 5**

**Reputation: 0/1000 Disliked**

"Fuck off already! I just wanted to get some lunch!" I growled at them, forcing myself to my feet. The pain in my leg wasn't too bad, but it wouldn't work very well in a fight. Not like fighting these guys would be much of a fight anyways. My power level was just too low.

"Yeah, I can just_ imagine _the meal that I'll be able to get for something that big." Cauliflo took a deep breath as if his mind was wandering somewhere else, before he looked back down at my fish. I took a step in front of it and narrowed my eyes dangerously.

"I think the weakling wants to fight, Cauliflo!" Taro began to laugh, which quickly spread throughout the group. I stood in defiance and frustration. I wasn't going to let them take my food without a fight, dammit!

"Is that true? You want to fight, huh?" Cauliflo laughed at me, his voice bellowing into the surrounding area. I growled in anger as they all insulted my pride. I'd get them back for this.

"Picklu, show that pathetic excuse of a Saiyan the power of a second class warrior." Cauliflo ordered the smaller boy, who nodded enthusiastically and turned to me. "Don't go easy on him, but don't kill him."

I threw up my fighting stance as quickly as I could, but even that wasn't quick enough. Picklu dashed at me and was on me in a moment. I couldn't react fast enough to dodge the punch that rocked my cheek and sent me tumbling over the carcass of the fish and onto my back.

**-600 HP!**

He really was going easy on me, and it was really pissing me off! I knew his power level, and if he really wanted to, he could have crushed my head into paste with that punch. The fact that he didn't was a massive insult! How dare he?!

Still, that punch was enough to almost knock me out completely. I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness. It didn't help that he decided to pick this fight right after I almost got eaten by a fish.

I tried to stand up but fell onto one knee. God damn it! I saw Picklu jump over the fish, and then felt his foot collide with my shoulder a moment later. I fell back to the ground, not having enough in me to even notice how much HP that I'd lost.

"Do you understand how weak you are? You're nothing to us." Picklu's voice rang through my ears. I couldn't even open my mouth to respond, even though I desperately wanted to curse him out.

"Alright, I'll carry the fish back. Taro come with me. And Picklu…" Cauliflo's voice in the background felt unreal. "Make sure that he won't be walking anytime soon."

My eyes widened in alarm, and then pain exploded through my legs. The last thing that I heard before I fell into unconsciousness was my pained howling.

* * *

**You've Slept in a Medical Machine! Health Restored to 100%! Your broken bones have been mended!**

**You've gained a decent Zenkai Boost (2) due to healing from two completely broken legs! Your burning anger, hurt pride and strong desire to get stronger increased the Zenkais effects!**

I opened my eyes and found myself covered in green liquid. It completely surrounded me, and I probably would have panicked if it wasn't for what I'd just read in front of me. My eyes began to adjust to the liquid and soon I was able to see out of the machine.

I was surprised to see Tuunip waiting on the other side, his arms crossed over his chest and an irritated expression on his face. The liquid drained off of my body and the door swung open in front of me.

I sure did feel great! And maybe it was my imagination, but I felt even stronger then before. It felt like there was more energy inside of me than ever before! It was amazing!

"What are you smiling about? You got your ass kicked by someone who's barely a 2nd class!" Tuunip hissed at me, which caught my attention pretty quickly.

"You would have got flattened too, you little punk. They had a power level higher then you do." I shot back at him. His lips turned upwards into a smug smirk and he chuckled.

"I'm not lower than them by much, and I'm only 7. By the time I'm their age, I'll be much stronger then they are now. Unlike _you._" He bragged confidently. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists.

"Why are you here anyways? And how did I get in a medical machine?" I snapped at him.

"I'm the one who put you in here." He responded. My eyes to widen for a moment in shock, and then he opened his mouth to continue. "Don't even think that it's because I like you. I just couldn't let my older brother die like a pathetic weakling. I'd get picked on forever."

Ah. Now that made sense.

"Bastard." I said after hearing his reasoning. "One day, I'll be stronger than you. Then we'll see who the pathetic weakling really is."

"It's kinda sad that you're threatening a 7 year old, don't you think? Just shows how weak you really are." Tuunip shrugged to himself, before turning away from me and walking out of the room. His tail swung around in the air behind him, and I resisted the urge to yank at it. I opted to just stared at him as he walked out.

**Ping!**

**Skill Created!**

**Observe (LVL 1 - 0%/Active) - Through continuous observation, you've created a skill that will allow you to gather information quickly about a person or an object. The higher the skill, the more information that you'll be able to obtain.**

**0.0.0**

**Petulant Little Brother**

**Tuunip - Level 6**

**Age: 7**

**HP: 16,800**

**KI: 33,600**

**Reputation: 0/1000 Neutral**

**Description: Born with an impressive power level, he is projected to be in a high rank when he is reaches adulthood. He's one of the best fighters his age on Planet Vegeta.**

**Currently is alarmed but intrigued about your sudden boost in power level. **

**Power Level: 1,680**

Well damn. Those numbers were big… His health (if HP meant health) was 16 times mine, and his Ki was way more then mine. Was that just because he was a higher level then me? Or were there other factors involved?

Wait, he was intrigued by my power level?

What kind of zenkai did I just receive?! I looked around the room, trying to find that weird thing box that had showed me my power level earlier. What was it called again? A status sheet?

**Ping!**

**Status Sheet**

**Name: Sprout**

**Occupation: Gamer**

**Level: 1 (350/2000)**

**Race: Saiyan**

**Age: 13**

**HP: 1,400**

**Ki: 1,190**

**Strength: 7**

**Endurance: 10**

**Agility: 5**

**Intelligence: 8**

**Luck: 8**

**Energy Modification Level: 5.1**

**Points: 0**

**Power Level: 357**

Holy crap! My power level almost increased by more than 100 just from that one zenkai! That was great! It looked like my energy modification level thing went up by the exact amount of zenkai that the blue box said that I received. So I figured that zenkais were counted into energy modification.

Either way, that was incredible! No wonder I felt stronger when I got out of the tank!

Why hadn't I been receiving zenkai boosts like this before? I mean, on the planet that I purged, they physically couldn't damage me much at all; but I'd been beaten up plenty of times while back on Planet Vegeta! I wasn't quite sure what was going on, but I liked it.

Maybe I'd even be able to get into 2nd class? I'd need a minimum of 1000 in power level, but now I might be able to pull it off!

What was that thing that the game said about experience? It helped me to level up, and the higher level usually meant the stronger the person… I'd need to get some experience too… As well as a few more zenkai.

"Brat! It's time for dinner!" My Father's voice called from elsewhere in the house, and I nodded my head, an ecstatic smile on my face. Getting zenkai boosts would be like stealing candy from a baby…


	2. A Warrior

**Chapter 2:** A Warrior

**A Week Later**

It was a week since the day these weird boxes started to pop up, and I was starting to realize a few things. Continually forcing my body go through zenkai boosts wasn't as enjoyable as I thought it would be. Throwing myself into fights hurt A LOT, and I still hadn't got a zenkai as big as the one when my legs were broken.

I also realized that I didn't actually _need_ a medical machine to recover from crazy wounds! Isn't that strange? All I had to do was lay down in bed, and when I woke up, all of my wounds were gone. No cuts or anything.

I wasn't sure if I could recover from being amputated, and I wasn't planning on testing it out.

Honestly, all of this was starting to get concerning. The idea that I'd been affected by the weirdos that I'd purged was etched into my head. For that reason, I decided that I wasn't going to tell anyone about this, ever. Not until I proved that it wasn't something to do with me being messed with.

It was barely afternoon when I decided to go to the lake to find some lunch. While I did, I thought about how my daily schedule had changed thanks to this weird new ability. I'd wake up and eat breakfast, which was followed usually by me prompting Brusell to rough me up a little. Then I'd go back to sleep so that I could get the small zenkai, and then go hunting for some fish for lunch. Sometimes I'd go back later in the day for dinner too.

I hadn't run into Cauliflo or his crew since the time that they broke my legs, but news that they'd beaten me up got around quickly. _If I wasn't enough of a laughing stock already.. _Every time that I went into the city, I was laughed at by almost everyone my age.

I'd get them back eventually, though.

When I got to the Lake, I hovered over it in a search for another Giglamarina. It didn't take long to see a dark shadow swimming across the surface. I grinned to myself and prepared to enact my strategy.

After a few times fighting the beast, I realized that the quickest way to kill it was with ki balls. It's main weak spots were the eyes and inside its mouth. Those were the only spots not covered by hard scales. Punching it to death would take some time, time that it would probably use to try eat me whole.

Not that it mattered anyway. I didn't need to hit the weak spots anymore.

When I thought the time was right, I dove straight into the water at the fish. When I found it, I swiftly created two ki balls, taking up half of my ki, and threw them at the beast. The more ki that I got by getting zenkai boosts, the more ki that I could use in my ki balls; which meant more damage.

**Giglamarina Fish Defeated!**

**+200 XP Earned!**

**Fish Earned!**

Before I could grab the dead fish and swim up to the surface, a new sound caught my ears. Instead of being a single 'ping' sound, it sounded more like.. Music? I stopped in the water to listen to the strange melody, and then my body started to tingle.

**Level up!**

**2 Attribute Points Awarded!**

I felt the something inside of me grow in an instant of time. My body quivered with energy and I felt… Stronger. There was energy coursing through me that I hadn't ever felt before. I could feel my eyes widen and I rocketed out of the water, fish in hand.

What in the world was that? Is _that_ what a level up does to my body? I put the fish down on the ground and tried to figure everything out, while hyperventilating in shock.

Last week, one of the boxes said that the higher someone's level, the stronger that they got, right? _That must be it._ I stopped hyperventilating and stood up, organizing my thoughts. A strange calm swept over me.

I'd finally leveled up, and it sure meant what it said. It definitely made me stronger. But how much stronger did it make me? _I need to see that status sheet thing._

**Ping!**

**Status Sheet**

**Name: Sprout**

**Occupation: Gamer**

**Level: 2(100/3500)**

**Race: Saiyan**

**Age: 13**

**HP: 2,800**

**Ki: 5,413**

**Strength: 7**

**Endurance: 10**

**Agility: 5**

**Intelligence: 8**

**Luck: 8**

**Energy Modification Level: 5.8**

**Attribution Points: 2**

**Power Level: 812**

No way?! That couldn't be right! Could it?

That would mean that my power level had almost doubled… Wow. It was too good to be true. I didn't believe it. I had to see it for myself.

I grabbed my lunch by the tail and flew off into the crimson sky; flying straight home. Once I got there, I threw the fish down in the backyard and rushed in, heading straight for Brussel's room.

He'd kill me for going into his room, but it was necessary.

Once I got into his cluster-fuck of a room, it took me awhile to find one of his scouters laying around. I put it on and fired it up, the green screen flashing with numbers.

I pressed the button on the side of the machine and waiting. It beeped a few times and scanned all of the power levels in the area. After scanning everyone around, it finally stopped and began to scan me. My mouth was left agape at the results.

"N-No way…" I gasped in shock and confusion. This couldn't be real.. Was this actually real? This wasn't normal. Just because of this weird gaming thing, I've been able to increase my power so much, so quickly. But no other Saiyan could do it. _What was wrong with me?_

I felt nauseous all of a sudden. I knelt over and covered my mouth when the feeling became overwhelming. _Did I get experimented on?_

_Maybe I was imagining it all? _That seemed like the case. After all, I was the only one that was seeing this progress… It must have been my imagination that prompted the blue box to say that Tuunip was intrigued by my growing power level the other day.

_I hope…_

I sat on the bed in shock and tried to think about what else it could be, but to no avail. Until I figured it out, if I could, I'd just have to go along with the flow… Hopefully it wouldn't kill me.

"What the fuck are you doing in my room, you punk?"

Ah crap.

**2 Week Later**

Two weeks later, and I still couldn't figure out if this was all in my head or not. I've been too anxious to try to increase my experience and do the quests that have been popping up around the city.

I wasn't sure what this game power was, and that alone made me wary. Every time that I thought about the possibility of me being experimented on, a sickening feeling swept over me.

But the power was tempting and I still had to catch some sort of food everyday. That led to experience points being raked up slowly, and I couldn't stop that. Neither could I stop the zenkais that I got from getting beaten up by Brussel.

"Have you been taking enhancement drugs?" Tuunip asked me suddenly, causing me to take a pause during breakfast. _What?_

"Idiot. Why would I be taking enhancement drugs? Those things don't work anyway." I replied with squinted eyes, before taking another bite of food. Tuunip looked at me skeptically. I watched him start pulling out his scouter.

Father was eating quietly on the other side of the table as usual. Brussel was out somewhere doing whatever. Probably on a mission. For the first time since giving birth to the twins, Mom was at the table too. She looked straight ahead as she ate, not even daring to look in my direction.

Honestly, I couldn't remember the last time that she'd spoken to me. After a few weeks of calling me worthless low-level scum, she decided that I wasn't worth her attention anymore. She hadn't opened her mouth towards me since.

"You're lying." Tuunip accused me as he began to fix the scouter on his head. "A few weeks ago, when I put you in the medical tank, the machine read your power level at over 300. That's pretty high for you."

Father mumbled something about someone being 'worthless' under his breath.

"Get to the point." I growled back at him, putting my food down. "But I don't use dr-"

"T-This can't be right…" Tuunip interrupted me with a startled gasp. All attention fell to him and I waited with bated breath. "Your power level.. It's 896…"

The room fell into silence a moment later, and all eyes were on me. I gulped at the sudden attention of both of my parents, surprised especially by my mother's glare. I opened my mouth to reply, but father broke the silence first.

"896… That's almost 2nd class…" Father spoke in a low voice, his voice sending shivers down my back. "But that can't be right. Just a few weeks ago you were barely over 200…"

He seemed to have his thinking face on for a few seconds, so I shut my mouth. Better not to interrupt him when he was thinking. But that was fine for me, because I had some thinking to do for myself.

So it WASN'T in my imagination... And if that was the case, then the 'game' thing was actually real… Wow. It felt like my mind was about to explode.

_Did I really get experimented on? _I help back the bile that threatened to erupt from my throat. _Was I that weak?_

"Explain yourself." An unfamiliar voice reached my ears. When I looked up, I realized that it was my mom.

**Ashamed Mother**

**Salada - Level ?**

**Reputation: 499/500 Hated**

How could I explain myself? They would think I was crazy! Heck, even I thought I was going a little bit crazy until a second ago! What was I going to tell them? I killed a few fish and my power level quadrupled?!

A strange calm fell over me once again, causing the nauseating feeling to subside.

"I… I'm not sure…" I stuttered out, wincing immediately due to the harsh glare from both of my parents. "Honestly, I'm just as surprised as you are.."

They looked at me in disbelief, but could I blame them? I would be skeptical too. Tuunip leaned back in his chair, almost tipping it over backward, and repeatedly kept reading my power level.

"It's possible that his latent power has been hidden inside of him, and the weaklings on the planet he was sent too couldn't bring it out completely." Mother analysed out loud, a look of shock on her face. "But usually latent power is usually only increased through training. Have you been training?"

I was surprised by how many words were being thrown at me by the usually silent parent, but I wasn't complaining. Plus, her brains was always useful. Being a scientist meant that she could always explain things to us that we didn't quite understand well. And her explanation on this wouldn't have been bad, if it wasn't for the fact that I knew it didn't have anything to do with hidden power.

"I mean, I guess?" I responded in uncertainty. "I've just been killing the biggest fishes I can find.." I knew it sounded stupid, but it was the truth! I thought that they would look at me like I was an idiot, but the look on their faces was the opposite.

"Your power levels increased that much from just fighting with fishes? That's unheard of…" Mother gasped. "You must have incredible potential hidden away inside of you! Thank god, you won't be a shame on our family any longer!"

"On that note, fighting fish isn't 'training'." Father's voice broke through the excitement. He had a way of never sounding anything other than pissed off.

"Well then, what do you suggest?" I asked him in interest. He'd never given me advice before. This was all very strange for me.

"Tuunip, you'll be helping train your brother until further notice." Father ordered Tuunip, who grumbled under his breath and crossed his arms.

"Bu-"

"That's an order." Tuunip was interrupted swiftly, and sulked back into his chair. Father turned back to me and I tried my best to keep eye contact. "And you… Don't disappoint me again."

**Quest Alert**

**Raise Your Power Level to At least 2000**

**Time Limit: 1 Month **

**Reward: 2000 XP; Greatly Increased Reputation With Family and other Saiyans**

**Failure: Greatly Decreased Reputation with Family and other Saiyans.**

**Possible Death by Beating**

**Accept / Deny**

And just like that, all of the pressure in the world was back on me. Even when everyone went back to eating breakfast in silence, I was left with an anxious feeling of dread.

_Could I get to a power level of 2000 in a month?_

**A Week ****Later**

"God, I can't believe I have to fucking train you! This is stupid!"

I sat patiently in a purple tree and let Tuunip rant and rave down below. It was clear that if our Dad hadn't ordered him to do it, Tuunip wouldn't have ever bothered to train me at all. He made that very obvious.

"You say this everyday. For once, shut your fucking mouth and help me get stronger!" I shouted back down at him, much to his annoyance.

We were far away from the main cities, into what could be considered unclaimed territory. The grass was purple and sharp here, almost like mini-daggers. Thankfully, the trees wasn't so dangerous. Rather, they were bouncy and soft.

"I have been training you, idiot!" Tuunip snapped at me, his face red in frustration. "It's not my fault that your power level won't increase! Maybe you've reached your limit!"

"I haven't!" I said in denial, even though I wasn't completely certain. I couldn't have, right? After all, I just needed more experience to level up. Unfortunately, the lake was running out of high level fish, so that wasn't going to work.

"Isn't there some other way of training? All you've taught me is the family fighting style! I'm sure that doesn't even count as real training!" I said to him, causing him to turn around and huff at me.

"You didn't know it before, and now you're surprisingly good at it! That seems like training to me!" Tuunip argued back. I shook my head and quickly took a few steps toward him.

In one quick motion, I reached forward and grabbed Tuunip's tail in a tight grip. His eyes widened in sudden pain and alarm, before his body dropped to the ground. I gritted my teeth and bent down so that I could look him straight in the eyes.

**Status Effect Initiated: Paralysis**

"Think of _something _because obviously you're missing other forms of training." I hissed at him, before tightening my grip. "For example, the tail weakness. You haven't taught me how to overcome _that_, have you?"

"B-Because… I d-don't… Know h-how…" Tuunip stuttered out through painful breaths. I blinked for a few seconds, in my head realizing how stupid I was. If Tuunip had known how to train against the weakness, he wouldn't be lying on the floor like a weakling right now.

Still, he must have known SOME other way of training.

I gave his tail one more good squeeze, before letting go and taking a few steps backwards. It took a few seconds for him to get back onto his feet, but he still looked uncomfortable and in slight pain.

"I'm gonna get you b-back for that…" He weakly grumbled under his breath. I crossed my arms over my chest and looked down at him.

"Well? Anything come to mind?" I asked him impatiently.

"As a matter of fact, yet." Tuunip said with a growl, his strength finally returning to him fully. "But because you squeezed my tail, I'm not telling.

"That's it you bastard!" I launched myself at him and threw my fist at him. He expected it though, and dodged it with relative ease, before going into his fighting stance.

_Crap, I'm not going to beat him in this fight, but at least I'll get a zenkai boost._

* * *

**This is chapter 2! It isn't as long as chapter ONE, but that is because I wanted to cut it a little short, due to the length of chapter 3. Because it is slightly short, I'll be posting chapter 3 later on today, or tomorrow morning. Typically, the chapter lengths will probably be around this, after the first arc. I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think in the reviews!**


	3. Strength

**Chapter** **3:** Strength

**Two Weeks Later**

"This isn't working!"

I pounded the ground next to me with a stiff, ki infused punch, cracking it across the surface. I didn't look, but I knew that Tuunip was nearby, watching with an amused expression on his face.

No matter what sort of training that Tuunip gave me, it wasn't increasing my power level enough. He taught me how to lace my muscles with ki to make them stronger. He taught me how to use ki to create an invisible armor around me that would weaken incoming attacks. According to the blue boxes, I'd even mastered the basic form of our families fighting style.

Yet, none of it raised my power level. The only thing that seemed to be working was zenkai boosts, and I was getting tired of getting my face beaten in everyday.

"You only have a week left… Maybe your potential could only get you this far." Tuunip yawned from behind me, much to my dismay. "You've come pretty far though. At least you aren't 3rd class trash anymore."

It was true. I'd slipped past the 1000 power level milestone a few days ago. That meant that I was considered a 2nd class, even if it wasn't official yet. But that wasn't enough, dammit! I needed to get to 2000 by the end of the week!

"Forget it! You're not helping!" I said back to him as I got up and prepared to leave.

"Where are you going?" Tuunip shouted up at me when I took off into the sky. I ignored him with ease kept on flying until I was far away from that useless little crap.

_I need to level up. That was what made my power level spike so high last time… I just needed to get exp, that's all. _

I flew past the usual fishing spot, but didn't stop there. I'd killed all of the fish in that lake over a week ago. I needed to find something else to kill. Something stronger than the fishes.

I slipped further and further into the most emptiest part of the outskirts of our city. I saw a cluster of trees and plants in the distance. There must be strong animals there, right?

Unfortunately for me, when I got there, I didn't find animals. Well, they weren't alive, anyways.

"Are you going to give us the meat, or are we going to have to _convince _you?" Cauliflo's voice was as prominent as ever, breaking through the air like a poison. I dropped from the sky as soon as I heard it, landing softly behind a large enough tree to shield my body.

"I need this meat for my family, bastards! It's mine! You're going to have to kill me for it!"

The voice was unfamiliar, but it was obviously another teenager. I popped my head out from behind the tree to watch the confrontation. Cauliflo, Picklu and Taro all stood opposite another boy, who was probably a little older then we were. The boy stood his ground with shaking fists. Scattered around them, the dead bodies of multiple large feline animal lay with large holes in their bodies.

**Skill Created!**

**Sneak (Level 1 - 0%/Active): Stealth is an important part of life. From stealing cookie from a jar, to sneaking up on an enemy to land a critical hit! Using this skill will grant you a 5% chance of remaining hidden! Your percentage will increase with use and levels!**

**Attacking an enemy while using 'Sneak' will automatically be a critical hit, dealing an addition 50% damage.**

"Well, if you really want to die…" Cauliflo sighed to himself, seemingly disappointment; although the grin on his face said otherwise. "Taro, take care of this weakling."

_And this is where I leave_… I looked away from the scene and prepared to fly away, but was stopped by a sudden sound.

**Quest Alert!**

**Defeat the Bullies And Let Squash Escape!**

**Time Limit: 5 minutes!**

**Reward: 4000 XP; Great Reputation decrease with bullies.**

**Reputation increase with Squash**

**Failure: Squash is killed. **

**Accept / Deny**

_That was a serious dick move… _

I didn't particularly care if the boy, Squash, was killed. I didn't know him, and he wasn't my family. It wouldn't be any blow to my pride if he disappeared.

Unfortunately for me, I needed that XP. That would be enough to help me level up. But I couldn't defeat them, could I? I stilled my breath and looked again; just in time to see Taro knocking Squash to the ground.

Damn it. If I died beating them up, then what did it matter? Dad would probably kill me anyways, if I don't get to a power level of at least 2000… This was my best chance.

I watched from behind the tree and waited for the perfect opportunity. Taro was the weakest in the group. I could tell by using observe on them. And thanks to my training, I wasn't too far behind him in power level. He was only about 1500. A little less than 500 above me. However, a problem was that his HP was at a staggering 15,800, while mine was a measly 2800. That would definitely put me at a disadvantage, but did I have a choice?

When the opportunity presented itself, I launched my surprise attack. Taro was going for a punch on the downed Squash, leaving his back exposed. The ki ball formed in my hand quickly. I couldn't make it too powerful, or it would be too slow. He'd dodge it. On the other hand, I couldn't make it too weak, or it wouldn't do enough damage. But hopefully this would be enough to put me at a slight advantage!

I threw the ball at Taro's exposed back, a smile slipping onto my face when it collided with him, exploding and sending him to the ground.

**-1000 HP! **

**Surprise Critical Attack!**

**-500 HP!**

_He isn't using ki to protect his body. Good_. I rushed forward while Taro was still shocked on the ground, the clothes on his back smoking and charred. I was faster than he remembered, because when he reached his hand up in an attempt to stop my attack, he was too slow. My ki-enhanced kick connected with his torso, just below his ribs, launching him into the air and through a nearby tree; snapping said tree with ease.

**-1500 HP!**

I didn't waste any time, forming ki balls and raining them down at the area which Taro had landed. I threw more and more as fast as I could, before jumping back and letting the dust clear.

**-200 HP!**

**-200 HP!**

**-200 HP!**

**-200 HP!**

**-200 HP!**

Altogether, I'd done 4000 HP of damage to him. I watched as the dust was cut in half and dispersed; followed by Taro snarling at me, his expression thoroughly pissed.

"Who's this interrupting shit-bag?!" Taro hissed at me, before his eyes actually got a good look at me. I smirked at him, feeling quite confident that my attack had worked.

Maybe I wanted to piss him off a little too.

"No way. Is that really Sprout? The weakling?" I heard a voice from behind me. It was either Cauliflo or Picklu. I couldn't tell over the blood rushing through my ears.

"Hm. It couldn't be. This guy's power level is reading at 1036. That's way more than Sprout's was a few weeks ago. No way that 3rd class trash could get so strong." That was definitely Cauliflo. An overconfident piece of garbage.

"I wouldn't be so sure." I smirked through the annoyance, tilting my head to the side to look back at them. They both looked shocked for a few moments, but I didn't dare stare back for any longer. I turned back to my enemy, who was still fuming.

"I'll make you suffer for that!" Taro growled at me through his teeth. I lowered myself into the family fighting style, preparing for Taro to come at me.

The other two wouldn't interrupt us. It would be disrespectful to Taro and would make him look weak. This was a 1v1.

"Then prove it…" I prompted him forward by wiggling my finger. It served its purpose. Taro came charging at me like an angry bull, much faster than I'd ever seen him move. My eyes widened in shock, but a strange calm washed over me. Instead of panicking and falling out of formation, I stayed fully poised.

This fighting style was built on counterattacks and outmaneuvering the opponent. Wait for the right time to strike, while dodging and taunting the opponent. The more angry the enemy, the more mistakes that they'll make.

Taro swung down at me with a powerful diagonal swing. It would have struck me right in top of my head, if I didn't back up just in time. While backing away, I simultaneously launched a quick jab at Taro's arm, catching him in his upper muscle

**-500 HP**

Taro winced in pain but still continued his attack, bouncing towards me on his foot and bringing his outstretched arm back in a sweeping backhand. I barely managed to duck under it, but was shocked to see that his knee was coming up towards my face at a speed that was too fast to dodge.. I'd been using my ki to protect my body since I jumped into the fight, but I quickly rushed to put even more around my face in a moment.

-**2000 Damage to Your Ki Shield**

While the attack didn't hurt me much more than a string, I felt my ki drain out of me like a needle drawing blood. I let the momentum of the hit snap my head back, allowing it to flip me into the air and away from Taro. I fought against the force and after a flew flips through the air, I landed safely on my feet.

It was quickly dawning on me how useless this fight was. From my hit on him, I realized that he didn't know how to use ki to protect his body. But he certainly knew how to use it to enhance his hits. I should have known that! Was I being overconfident to think that I could jump into this fight and beat him?

The ki shield worked in an interesting and dangerous way. I could channel as much ki as I wanted into the shield, protecting myself, but all of the damage that would have normally taken down my HP, would now take from my ki pool. It was incredibly useful, seeing as my HP wasn't very high…

But it was quickly dawning on me that my Ki wasn't very high either.

"He's actually holding his own! This is… Surprising." Cauliflo's voice came from behind me, the smugness returning. "But stop holding back Taro! However he tricked the scouter, it won't work! Show him that he's still a weakling!"

"O-Ok." Taro stuttered back to his leader, but I couldn't help but to grin. He hadn't been holding back. That punch would have brought me right to the brink of unconsciousness if I hadn't activated my Ki Shield. Considering that it was my head, it might have even cracked my skull.

"Hm. Too scared to tell your owner that you've been going all out from the beginning, huh?" I taunted him with an amused grin on my face. "You're right. He'd look down on you for being too weak to take me out, right? He might even kick you out of his little crew. You're the weakest one anyway, huh?"

Taro sped at me again, this time going for a punch to my stomach. My legs, already enhanced with ki, pushed to the side, steering me a little left of the attack. I struck him twice in his arm, dealing 600 HP, before his large fist closed in on me.

Thankfully, this time I was more prepared. I lifted my free arm in front of the direction of the attack, blocking it. I winced as Taro's fist pushed into my arm, and then against my body. _Crap, blocking is NOT a good idea. _I felt my feet slip up from underneath me, and a moment later, the force of his punch sent me flying through the air.

Before I could correct myself by flying, I felt a tree crack against my back. I went through it like butter, and gasped as I felt more ki draining out of me.

**-1000 Damage to Ki Shield!**

Crap… This wasn't looking good at all. I pushed the broken tree off of me and stood up as soon as I could. If it wasn't for that idiotic boy, I wouldn't be in this position!

Where was he anyways?

I scanned the area quickly, only to realize that Squash was missing, along with a few of the dead animals. _That damned coward! Never mind! He was weak anyways, he wouldn't have been able to help!_

"Come on! Hit harder than that! Your punches tickle!" I shouted back at him when I got my composure back. He looked even angrier now, and perhaps a little worried. Of course, he couldn't see that I was basically out of Ki. He was probably wondering how I was still going on, without actually being hurt.

"Come on Taro, this is getting annoying! Don't make me have to go in and finish it for you!" Cauliflo's annoyed voice called out, much to both Taro and my dismay. Taro shook his head furiously and got into formation, before charging me again.

"Hit me, you idiot!" I baited him successfully. When he reached me, he went in for a double grab, trying to tackle me to the ground. I grinned and used his horrible fighting to my advantage. I jumped into the air when he got close enough, twisting so that I was facing down at him from above.

If I was going to run out of ki, I was going to do some _actual_ damage before I did.

I'd learned that hitting certain parts of the body did additional damage. It was called a critical hit or something. I hadn't figured out what it meant until a few weeks into the training with Tuunip, but since then, I realized and was sure that hitting people in important body parts was what usually gave me a critical hit. Head, joints, crotch… Those kinda places. I wonder how much damage it would do if I did more than just hit one of those spots?

If I broke it?

While above him, I grabbed a hold of his Mohawk and yanked his head back. With my other hand, I formed the largest ball of ki I could muster with what little Ki that I had left, knowing that he couldn't dodge it from this close. With one quick movement, I swung the large ball of ki down, slamming it into Taro's surprised face.

**-1900 HP!**

**Critical Hit!**

**-950 HP!**

**Critical Points (Nose) Broken! Eyes Damaged!**

**-400 HP!**

**Critical Point (Eyes) Damaged! Temporarily Blinded (1 minute)**

The force of the explosion was enough to blast me off of him and across the clearing. I corrected myself in the air, landing safely, albeit a little uneasy. Now THAT was the kind of damage that I wanted to be doing. So, breaking and further damaging critical points did even more damage, like I thought. It made sense. Breaking someone's arm is always going to do more damage than just hitting the arm.

I watched as he screamed in agony across the clearing. He was reaching for his eyes and tearing at them, as if that would help him see better. The smoke rising from his face was slowly fading, which gave me a better view of his face. It was bloodied thoroughly, and just as the notification said, his nose was bent at a strange angle. It was broken.

And then I looked at his HP…

What?! His HP was only a little past the halfway point. A creeping feeling slithered through my body, and I couldn't help but to frown deeply. After all of that?! I was completely out of ki now. No more enhanced attacks or ki balls.

Crap…

"Wow, he really did improve, didn't he…" Picklu's statement made my ears twitch. Of course I had. The recognition felt good. For once.

"Hm.." Was all that Cauliflo replied. I'd stunned him to silence. That's what I wanted to believe, anyways.

"Hmm, is this all you could do, then? Now who's the weakling?" I taunted Taro as I sped over to him, fist cocked back. My fist connected with his stomach. He hunched over in pain, spit and blood squirting out of his mouth. I followed it up with a few more well placed punches. If he had removed his hand from his face, I would have went for his face again. I image that hitting a broken nose would do even more damage.

I ignored the notifications while I dodged his mindless swipes and hit him as much times as I could. Finally, after a few hits, Taro roared out in pain and frustration. Ki exploded out of his body in a wave, launching me back and sending me rolling across the ground.

**-300 HP**

Ouch, that had actually hurt… I got to my feet quickly though, trying not to show weakness. But it was probably obvious to the other two. Before, my clothes weren't even getting stretched by the attacks, but now they were bright red, almost burning from that wave.

I didn't have time to just sit around! I flew at him quickly again, swinging a fist at his face, which was now exposed. To my surprise and horror, my fist was caught by Taro's hand.

"Bastard… You're dead meat.." He said to me through intense breathing. I didn't notice before, but pieces of the skin on his face was burned down to the flesh. I grinned at the damage that I'd down, only to cringe when I felt my fist being crushed in his grip.

I did the first thing that came to mind, swinging my foot up in an attempt to hit him right in his family-jewels. Fortunately for him, he brought his knees together and blocked the hit. Before I could think of another form of attack, I felt his head collide with my own, and the world went extremely white for a second.

I staggered backwards, seeing stars. I felt myself getting dragged back towards him, and then an exploding pain in my stomach.

I felt weightless for a second, before colliding with several solid objects behind me. They all broke against my body, before I finally hit the ground. An incredible weight pressed down on my entire body, and I was snapped out of my near-unconscious state.

Was that… Trees…?

I was covered by trees… From my neck down to my knees… Oh god, they were so heavy.

"You're the weakling, you trash…" I heard Taro's voice somewhere in the distance, but I could place it exactly. My head was still ringing. How I'd survived those two attacks, I had no idea.

I heard more voices in the distance as I tried to take in sharp breaths, despite the fact that my chest was being crushed by the trees on top of me. Oh god… I didn't want to die like a weakling idiot. Crushed by trees…

I tried to push up against the trees, but it didn't do much. They barely budged at all. I managed to lift it up high enough for me to catch a quick breath.

"Leave him, he's not worth it. He'll be killed by the trees anyways." Cauliflo's voice was becoming more clear. "So pathetic. Killed my trees. Everyone's going to love this back in the city!"

Their laughs exploded all around me, before disappearing into the distance… _No.. No… My pride won't be wounded like this! I WON'T ALLOW IT!_

I pushed up against the tree and grunted in pain, feeling my muscles aching against the weight. I wouldn't lose to a damn tree! I pushed up as hard as I could, using every muscle I could muster to their breaking point. Sweat and dirt poured down my face on either side.

But still, it wouldn't move. I kept pushing with all of my strength. I wouldn't be a Saiyan if I accepted death that easily!

The trees started to lift slowly, but surely. Up and up… And up… My muscles felt like they were about to fall off of their bones, but I kept pushing. I wouldn't give up!

**\+ 1 Strength Stat from Working Out Muscles!**

New energy swirled into me like a whirlpool. I felt a portion of ki coming back to me in a wave, and with a shout, I expelled it outwards, launching all of the trees off of my damaged body and into every direction.

"Oh god…" I rolled over onto my stomach and heaved a few heavy breaths. _That was intense… Too intense… Way too close. _

But now I felt new energy swirling into me; energy that I didn't have before. I took a few minutes to gather my strength, and make sure that no one was around.

It was humiliating to get beaten and left for dead like that, but whatever just happened, it was good. I could feel more power than me. What did the blue box say when I was pushing the tree?

"Hm… Strength increased from working out muscles…" I remembered through slow breaths. My muscles sure felt sore, but now that I stopped to think, they seemed to be stronger than before. But why did I feel more energy? Could strengthening my muscles increase my power level?

"Status…"

**Status Sheet**

**Name: Sprout**

**Occupation: Gamer**

**Level: 2(2000/3500)**

**Race: Saiyan**

**Age: 13**

**HP: 3,200**

**Ki: 7,893**

**Strength: 8**

**Endurance: 10**

**Agility: 5**

**Intelligence: 8**

**Luck: 8**

**Energy Modification Level: 7.4**

**Attribution Points: 2**

**Power Level: 1,184**

My power level _did _go up… Along with my health and ki. And by quite a lot too!

I stopped to think for a moment, thoroughly shocked by the revelation. Lifting weights and strengthening your bodies muscles could increase your power level? Why didn't anyone tell me this? Did they know? The answer came to me after a moment of thought.

_Of course! They didn't bother to strengthen their muscles because if they needed more strength, they just had to lace their muscles with ki! _

It was right in our faces the entire time. Some part of me wondered if any other Saiyans on the planet knew about this secret, but I pushed that thought to the side for now. It was time to train!

"This is it… This is how I'll get stronger!" I said with a large grin on my face.

But first I needed to eat.

* * *

**A/M: I hope that you enjoyed it. I fell asleep last night so I didn't upload last night, but here it is! The first ACTUAL fight scene. And with it, Sprout realizing that by strengthening your body muscles and strength stat, you can increase your power level!**

**Just to be clear, in this AU, the Saiyans DO know about zenkai boosts. They're just overconfident and won't let an enemy harm them if they can't help it. It would damage their pride. But there are certain Saiyan (Bardock), who WOULD let himself get hurt, just for a good zenkai. **

**Plus, a normal small beating, only brings a Saiyans energy modifier up by 0.1 in my story, which wouldn't increase a really high power level by much, anyway. Instead, they don't know about increasing their strength naturally, and not by ki. **

**Of course, some do. But you'll have to find out who, eventually.**


	4. The Leviathan

**Chapter 4:**** Leviathan**

**5 Days Left**

I had 2 more days to get to 2000, but I wasn't too worried about getting there anymore. My power level was sitting right above 1,800. Training my muscles without the use of ki did just what I theorized that it did. The stronger my body, the higher my power level. It would be _easy_ for me to get over 2000.

I wanted it to be my next level up that got me over 2000, though. From what I'd observed, it looked like HP was branching off from levels, and the strength stat, and maybe the endurance stat. The higher someone's level, the higher their HP, usually. So, even if I had a higher power level then someone, they had more health than me. I couldn't let it stay that way.

"How is your training coming along?" My mother's voice stopped me just as I was about to leave the front door. I stopped in my tracks and turned to face her.

Over the last month, I hadn't seen her much. She mostly spent her time at work or elsewhere. _Even if she was home, I wouldn't know._ I was out training usually from early in the morning to the night.

Whenever I did see her though, she acted _different_. It was weird to hear her actually talking to me, let alone wondering about my training. Strangely enough, the reputation thing I could see when I used observe on her said neutral, instead of hated.

"It's going very well. I think I'll be able to make you and father proud." I reply to her with certainty. She looks at me up and down, her face straight and critical as always.

"Not only will you restore honor to your name and our family by becoming a first class, but opportunity will open up to you. I hope you've thought about that." She told me; confusing me slightly.

"How?" I asked her, taking a step away from the door and towards her.

"I forget you've only been back for a little over a year." She sighed, disappointment still evident in her voice. "And you wouldn't know what being a high rank has to offer…"

I stayed silent and leaned back against the wall. What was she going on about?

"Once you officially become a second class, you'll have the option to either go into mental training to be a scientist or a doctor. If you manage to get to 1st, You'll be able to join the Saiyan Army." Mother informed me. "A male becoming anything but a warrior is shameful. You will be looked down upon if you become anything but that, and I will certainly disown you from this family."

I flinched and crossed my arms over my chest. I wasn't planning on becoming anything but a warrior anyways.

"That won't be a hard choice. I have no interest in stupid science." I scoffed in disinterest, before turning back to the door.

"Good." I heard her say as I opened the door. "One more thing."

"Yes?" I asked in reply, already becoming irritated.

"Tuunip hasn't been home in a few days. It isn't like him to just disappear. Find him and make sure that he's safe." She said to me, much to my annoyance. I opened my mouth to protest, but was cut off immediately. "That's an order."

"Fine. Ugh." I growled through my teeth and shut the door behind me.

_I needed to train, dammit_! I didn't have time to be babysitting Tuunip! When had he disappeared anyways? I thought back for a few seconds and sighed. The last time that I saw him _was _a few days ago. The same day that I ended up fighting Cauliflo's gang. Weird, I hadn't even noticed his absence.

But my Mom was definitely right. It wasn't like the little twerp to be away from home for so long. Hopefully he wasn't dead. Dying anywhere but the battlefield was pathetic. And I know that he hadn't died in a battle, or else his killer would have made the news public already.

Where _was_ he?

**Quest Alert**

**Find Tuunip!**

**Time Limit: 24 hours**

**Reward: 3000 XP; Greatly Increased Reputation With Tuunip **

**Greatly Decreased Reputation with Tuffle Race**

**Failure: Death of Tuunip **

**?**

**Accept / Deny**

Tuffles?

I felt my heart beat faster in my chest when I saw the name. What was going on? Why would saving Tuunip give me a bad reputation with the Tuffles…

Unless….

"Tuunip, what have you gotten yourself into?" I blasted off into the sky immediately, in search of my missing brother.

* * *

I searched the area surrounding our house, and then the forest nearby. Tuunip wasn't there. The next place I thought of was the city. I thought that maybe I could find some of his friends and that they would know where he is.

A creeping sensation crept through me as I kept on the search. None of the kids that I found knew where he was. Either that, or they were too stubborn to tell me the truth.

Right now, I was looking down at a group of kids rough-housing each other outside of some buildings. I dropped down at the center of the group, putting myself between them all and separating the two fighting children.

"Hey! Why'd you stop the fight you dick?!" One of the kids who had been watching the fight shouted at me, balling his fists at me. I scowled and flared my energy around me.

"Do any of you know Tuunip? Son of Omato?" I asked them seriously, not in the mood for games. I noticed a change on some of the kid's faces, and narrowed my eyes. "Do you know where he is?"

"Yeah, but what's it to you?" The lead kid, Ettuce, asked me with sass in his tone. I took a step towards him but held myself back.

"He's my brother. Now tell me where he is." I said to him with venom in my voice. The mission only had 22 hours left.

"Hmm, you're his brother? You don't look elite class…" Ettuce hummed to himself, before his eyes lit up. He began to laugh and point. "Oh! You're the weakling brother, aren't you? The one with the super low power level?"

I paused for a moment and anger boiled up inside of me. _I wasn't weak anymore. I'll never be weak again._ And people needed to know that. I wasn't going to let my pride be damaged ever again!

"Does this look like a low power level to you?" I asked him through gritted teeth. I willed my aura to swirl around me like a torpedo, before exploding outwards in a burst of energy. The kids covered their faces in shock, some even being blown away. Ettuce was thrown back a few feet, but I was instantly upon him.

I grabbed the kid by his face and lifted him off the ground, holding him high into the air above me. The grip I had on his face wasn't anything to laugh at. In fact, according to him, it was something to scream about. Fortunately for my ears, my hand was large enough to cover his mouth.

"Shut it, kid."

I punched him hard in the stomach, causing him to go limp in my hand. I heard the chime that notified me that I had received some experience, but before I could do anything else, I heard two other kids rushing at me from behind.

Spinning around in an instant, I threw Ettuce into the advancing form of one of the kids, sending them both tumbling to the ground. The second one was shocked by my sudden turn, and paused for a moment. I used that moment of hesitation to knee him in the stomach and then kick him over to where Ettuce and the other kid lay motionless.

Another notification about experience came up, but I ignored it.

"A-Are they dead?" The final kid, a smart one that decided not to join them in the fight against me, asked me in shock. I put my hand up towards them and energy started to form in my hand.

"They're about to be." I said carelessly, allowing the energy to form into a ball big enough to consume them all. Just before I could release it, the kid jumped in front of them and threw his hands out to the side of him.

"Don't kill them! I'll tell you where your brother went!" The kid begged, much to my amusement and shock. I used observe on him quickly, intrigued.

**Brave Victim**

**Karro - Level 4**

**Age: 8**

**HP: 5,760**

**KI: 15,360**

**Reputation: 0/1000 Neutral**

**Description: Karro wasn't born with an impressive power level. In fact, he's only projected to become a second class warrior. He grew up quite lonely, with no family, and gets attached to people easily. Is willing to sacrifice himself for his friends.**

**Due to his second class ranking, he was a subject of Tuunip's harsh bullying.**

**Currently is on edge and willing to do anything. He is being truthful and will tell you where he thinks Tuunip is.**

**Power Level: 720**

"Ah, that wasn't so hard now, was it?" I shook my head and allowed the energy in my hand to seep back into my body. Karro's body relaxed a little bit and he turned back to look at his friends.

"Now tell me where he is." I ordered Karro while crossing my arms. Instead of listening to me, though, Karro ran over to his friends and shook them all awake.

"Thank god you're alive.. Go heal up…" I could hear him very faintly as he whispered to his injured friends. They protested, but they weren't in a condition to do anything about it.

I had to admit, the boy had some balls to stick up to me after I beat up all his friends. I didn't say anything until his friends flew off somewhere and he walked back over to me with his head down.

"Your brother… Uh… He…" Karro's voice was quiet and a little frightened. Instantly my heart pounded and I growled in anger and suspicion. I took a step forward and Karro took a scared step back.

"Spit it out or I'll break you." I threatened him. A bad feeling that I couldn't shake came over me. Karro looked up at me with wide brown eyes.

"We s-sent him to the ruins of the f-first Saiyan city…" Karro admitted finally. He carried on when he saw my critical glare. "W-We wanted him to go away… He's a jerk and we thought whatever was down there would scare him enough to leave us alone… I didn't think that he wouldn't come back.."

I resisted the urge to snap his neck right there and then.

I didn't need to ask him why they had chosen the first Saiyan City. I already knew.

The cities name was lost to time, the only information known, was that it was the first city that the Saiyans built while on this planet. It has been abandoned for hundreds of years, after all of the Saiyans living there suddenly vanished one day. The rumors were wild, but little could be done to prove, or disprove them. Some people believed that whatever killed them was still lurking in the city, waiting for more Saiyan to slaughter. Others believed that it was the Legendary Super Saiyan, who followed our ancestors to this planet to finish them off.

I wasn't sure if the rumors were a bunch of crap but whether they were true or not, the facts was that no one came back from that city. Even I knew that, and I'd only been back on the planet for a little over a year.

"I gave you what you want, so I'm going to go home now." Karro's voice woke up out of my thoughts, and I scowled down at him. His face was as confident as he could muster, but I could still see the fear behind it. He launched himself into the air and began to fly, but I caught him by the back of his shirt and dragged him back to the ground.

"Not so fast, twerp. You're coming with me." I growled at him, much to his shock. It took all of the energy inside of me not to beat him to a pulp right here.

"W-Why? I'm not very strong. I can't help you at all.." He whimpered. His false confidence broke easily, and I couldn't help but to feel proud of my intimidation skills.

"You're right, you can't." I said slowly, as I flew into the sky with him in my grip. "But if we go there and my brother is gone, a life for a life seems fair, right?"

The look of pure terror on his face made me smile briefly, despite my anger.

* * *

"We should just turn back. Tuunip's probably okay. They're just rumors, right?"

_Maybe taking the kid along wasn't such a good idea. _I ignored his babbling while I searched the land for something to eat.

The mission had about 17 hours left. That wasn't too bad, considering that if we flew at the pace that we were currently going at, we would be there in about an hour. It gave me enough time to stop and get something to eat, which I desperately needed.

Strangely enough, the further that we got from the claimed territory that I was familiar with, the less animals and _life_ there seemed to be. About an hour ago, the trees started to die and wither, until there was no more left. Even the grass had disappeared. Now, the ground just looked dry and cracked.

"Hey, I think someone's following us."

_The first useful thing that he's said the entire time. _I snapped my head back and strained my eyes. Far off in the distance I could see someone trailing us, their aura flaring around them as they did.

Who would come all the way out here? This was practically a wasteland.

I stopped flying and turned to face them. To my surprise and confusion, the person that reached us wasn't at all someone that I expected.

"Squash?" I said his name in slight confusion, staring at his name tag. I remembered him. _He's the coward that abandoned me during my fight with Taro._ I crossed my arms over my face and examined him.

Sweat was rolling down the sides of his face, and he was panting slightly. His short black hair clung to his face, and his tail swung slightly behind him. He didn't look like he wanted to fight. Not right now, at least.

"You know my name?" Squash asked in surprise. I narrowed my eyes at him and let myself fall to the ground, waiting for him to follow. Karro and Squash followed me and we all touched down.

"Why are you following us?" I asked him, not bothering to answer his question. I didn't really have a good answer to that question anyways. The only reason that I knew his name was because of the game, and I sure wasn't about to tell him about that.

"Well… The other day, you helped defend me against Taro." He seemed to grit his teeth a little, and then looked down. "It hurt my pride to accept help from someone else, but it was the only choice. I would have rather died right there and then."

"And then you abandoned me like a coward. Get to the point." My hands fell to my side and I felt my body tense. If he wanted to fight, I was ready. He probably came here to fight me for in defense of his pride. But if he did, he was in for a rude awakening.

"Because you helped me once, I have to help you back once. And then we're even and I can forget anything happened." He said with a frustrated expression on his face. "That's why I'm here. So I can get it done as soon as possible. I can't live with myself knowing that I was helped by some softie."

"Soft?" I couldn't stop the growl from escaping my throat. _How dare he call me soft?! I'm not soft at all! _My hands balled into tight fists.

"Why else would you go out of your way to help me? I didn't know you, and we're not related by blood." He questioned me confidently. "It's obvious that you're soft. It's like you wanted to be a _hero_ or something." He spat the words out like they were poison.

My blood boiled at the thought. I wasn't being _soft!_ The only reason I helped him was because of the mission! I could feel the fury rising in my body, and took a few steps towards him. _I'd crack his skull in. That will teach him who is soft!_

Before I got to him, though, the ground started to shake. I stopped mid-stride and looked down, my eyebrows raised in confusion. As I watched, the ground suddenly bulged upwards, as if something was trying to poke it's head out. Immediately, I jumped up into the air, flying away from the bulge in the earth.

I ended up right next to Karro, who was staring down at the ground in confusion. A moment later, a large metallic object poked its head out from beneath the earth, destroying most of the ground in the process. It didn't stop there, though. The weird object slithered out of the ground, and my eyes widened due to my shock and confusion.

It's body was long and slender, with scales that shifted and screeched as they rubbed against each other. When it opened its mouth, I saw what looked like thousands of sharp _blades_ that was were its teeth should have been. If it had normal eyes, I couldn't see them due to the overwhelming red light emanating from them.

"It looks like… A Leviathan…?" Karro's voice was just as confused as I felt. He was right. The weird metal thing looked like one of the giant sea snakes that lived in the oceans of Planet Vegeta. _Except, Leviathans don't live in dirt and they definitely aren't made of metal. _

"Tuffles…"

I heard Squash's horrified voice from a few feet away. My eyes widened in shock and I looked between him and the metallic Leviathan, which was still dislodging its body from the ground. It was immeasurably long, with a width that was big enough to easily swallow us whole.

Was that _thing_ a Tuffle creation?

I thought back to when I received the mission and my mouth went slightly dry. I had hoped that it _didn't_ have anything to do with the actual Tuffles, but as I stared down at the monster coiling beneath me, I knew that I was wrong.

I hadn't actually met a Tuffle before, and I didn't know much about them. In fact, just about all I knew came from rumors and from Brusell. I knew that we've been in a war with them for over 20 years and that they had crazy technological inventions. That alone worried me. _How could they compete with the Saiyans for this long? _

"We need to go!" Squash called out to me. When our eyes made contact, I almost recoiled. His eyes were full of fear. I instinctively nodded at him and flew higher into the air and away from the ground. Squash was ahead of me and Karro followed me along quietly.

When we were a good distance into the sky, I stopped and looked down at the giant slithering _thing_.

"What is that?" I asked no one in particular, although my eyes did fall on Squash. The slightly taller boy gulped and tore his eyes away from the creature, so that he was looking at me.

"I-I need to go… Now." His voice was quite, like the whispering of the wind. I growled my teeth and flew over to him, coming up close to his face. To my surprise, he didn't react. Upon getting closer, I realized that his face was now a deathly pale color.

"You aren't going anywhere." I said to him, a bead of sweat rolling down my forehead. "You need to repay me right?"

_As much as I would rather knock him out and send him home in a basket, he seems to know something about this stuff._

"They are monsters created by the Tuffles…" Squash started after a few moments of silence. "Leviathans made of metal and the blood of our people. They don't need to eat or drink. All they live to do is kill and devour Saiyans."

A shiver ripped through my spine, but I shook my head and crossed my arms. "It's just a bunch of scrap metal. It will be a piece of cake." I scoffed, trying to keep confident.

"Well, we don't really need to kill it, right? If we fly high enough, it can't get us…"

My head snapped backwards and I glared at Karro for a split second. _Wow, I forgot that he was even there_. The small kid looked even more nervous than before, but not nearly as fearful as Squash. _Why is he so scared anyways? And how does he know so much about Tuffles?_

"Hmm. Good point." I acknowledged reluctantly, yet a little grateful. I didn't let that show in my tone, thankfully. "We'll keep going to the city. We still need to find Tuunip."

When I turned to go back in the direction of the city, I felt Squash's hand harshly grab me by the shoulder.

"Wait!" His voice raised into a panicked shout, stopping me in my tracks. I slowly turned towards him, removing his hand from my shoulder swiftly.

"What?" I asked him, eyes narrowed.

"If there are more of those _things_ ahead… We won't make it back…" Squash's voice went quite again, his eyes flashing with the same terror that I saw earlier. "We aren't strong enough. Going against Tuffles now would be suicide…"

"Disgusting. You're a coward, just like I thought." I gritted my teeth. "You would admit defeat against an inferior enemy! For what reason?! Why are you so afraid of the Tuffles?!"

His mouth opened slightly and words threatened to spill out, but as if his throat sealed shut, he kept quite. He lowered his head and quivered, so I turned my back to him and began to fly towards the direction of the city.

I wiped off the sweat that had been building up on my forehead, my eyes glancing downwards ever-so-often. The ground was bulging and twisting under the surface. _It's following us…_

Getting food would have to wait. I looked forward and gulped, before speeding up. _Tuunip, what have you gotten yourself into?_

* * *

**And here's chapter 4, and reveals a bit about this arc. "Tuffles?! The Saiyans destroyed them!?" I can hear some of you saying, but remember, this is an AU. In this AU, as I briefly mentioned in the chapter, the Tuffle-Saiyan war has been raging for over 20 years. Which is more then 10 years more then the war did in canon. And clearly, the Saiyans haven't been destroyed by Frieza yet! What's going on with that? You'll find out eventually. But clearly, Frieza didn't decide to destroy the Saiyans for some reason. **

**Since it's over 10 years after the would-be destruction of planet vegeta, some of you may be asking about Kakarot(Goku) and Vegata... Andddd you'll have to wait for that. **

**I'll explain this though. The saiyans are living a lot more less technological and lavish then they did in the movies. They didn't destroy the tuffles, and therefore didn't acquire their technology. So they're a little more primitive, technology wise. **

**And remember this is an AU! Alternate UNIVERSE! So things probably won't go in the direction of Canon! Let's just consider this universe 13.**


	5. Lost City

**Chapter 5:** **Lost City**

"I think we've reached it."

And indeed, we had.

It took us about an hour more flying to finally find the lost city, and I was definitely not disappointed. The city was extremely large, and looked extremely well developed. More technologically advanced then the ones that we lived in, that was for sure.

We didn't dare to fly too close to the ground, knowing that the Leviathan was still lurking. Instead, when he reached the border of the city, we landed on top of the wall and sat down to take a break.

"I'm starving." Karro mumbled under his breath, rubbing his stomach gingerly.

"You're not the only one, kid." I replied with a sigh. Upon sitting down, I let my body loosen and laid backwards on the cold metal surface. "But there isn't exactly anything to eat, is there?"

Everyone fell back into silence, which was only amplified by the ghostly quite that seemed to leak out of the city just next to us. It was slightly nerve wracking. I turned my head away from the sky and glared down at the city below.

The buildings were still tall and standing, to my surprise. The only weird difference was the fact that purple grass was dancing on the sides of most of the buildings, coating them. But other then that, I noticed that there wasn't any destruction…

"Hm." I said aloud, unintentionally.

"What? Did you notice something?" Squash asked me quickly, his voice panicked. I scowled and ignored him, continuing to look at more of the houses.

_Ever since the Leviathan appeared, he's been acting like a scared mouse._ I shook my head in disappointment. _This must be his true personality. The coward._

As we rested, I noticed that my ki bar was slowing starting to recharge. _Interesting_. Instead of dwelling on the hunger I felt, I closed my eyes. I didn't want to be tired _and_ hungry.

"So… I heard you talking about the Tuffles…." Karro's voice spoke up and my ear twitched. If he was talking to me, I'd simply ignore it. But a part of me realized that he most likely wasn't.

"Yeah…" Squash replied quietly.

"You're afraid of them, aren't you?" Karro's asked gently. I steeled myself and kept my ears open, my interest rising.

"N-No... " Squash's voice was unconvincing. "I've just seen first hand what they can do. Wanting to avoid them isn't being afraid; it's being smart."

"Looks like fear to me." Karro replied casually. His tone was strange, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. "It's okay to be a little afraid, sometimes. That's how you know when to back down."

_Ah. He's soft_. I mentally sighed as I listened in. _Showing fear is dishonorable. No wonder he's a victim. _

"Whatever… I'm not afraid." Squash hissed back, his original voice returning to him for a fleeting moment. The world fell into silence around us. The sound of breathing was the only thing that I could hear. Hunger crept up on me and I groaned to myself, while also rolling over to get into a more comfortable position.

"They did something to you, didn't they?" Karro asked, his voice quiet and soft. Everything went silence once again, before Squash finally starting speaking.

"My parents… They were warriors in the Saiyan army. Both elite class…" His voice was shaky, but he continued. "They'd just come home after successfully wiping out a Tuffle town. It was night and they thought that they were safe… But those _things_ came for them."

"First, I heard the rattling and grinding of metal. It sounded like nothing I'd heard before. And then everything went to hell." He paused for a moment. "The first one tore through the house and came for me and my siblings. Two more went for my parents. But they weren't alone. There were Tuffle soldiers with them too."

"Huh. Well, Tuffles themselves aren't much, right?" Karro asked, sounding confident in a childish way. "I heard that they're short and can't even use their ki, an-"

"They were monsters."

A chill ripped through my body, my stomach twisting into multiple knots. I could tell that he meant what he was saying.

"The Leviathan that attacked me and my siblings was brutal. We eventually managed to take it down… But not before Onia was…" His voice quivered into non-existence. "A-Anyways… After we destroyed it, our parents had already killed their own two and were fighting the soldiers."

"Then how did they lose? They were elites right?" Karro asked, obviously confused still. I heard a quick shuffle, and then the sound of Karro squeal. A smile made its way across my face.

"The Tuffles are _monsters_, do you understand me?" He growled at the younger boy. "Whatever ki blasts my parents threw at them, they just took it like it was nothing. They were wearing some suits that must have absorbed ki or something. By the time my parents realized it, it was too late…"

"The Tuffles slowly tore them apart with their weapons and we couldn't do anything to stop it. When me and my siblings managed to escaped, I could hear their screaming for miles… Sometimes, when I lay in bed at night, I can still hear them…"

_You could have stayed and fought with them_. I thought to myself. _Instead of being a coward_. I was about to open my mouth to voice my thoughts, but was stopped in my tracks by his next few words.

"I was too weak…" His voice was broken. "If I was stronger, I could have fought by their side. They always told me that I was always going to be weak; doomed to be a rank 2, _maybe_ a rank 1, if I'm lucky... But I didn't quite believe it until that moment."

The words died on my tongue and suddenly, my throat was very dry. I opened my eyes, letting them drift to Squash's back. _I knew what it felt like to feel weak_… _Feeling tied down to those fucking numbers…_

"You don't have to stay weak." The words left my mouth before I could think to stop it. "I didn't."

"Ha, don't make me laugh." Squash replied with a glum tone. "The projection rate that they set at birth is almost always right. There's no getting around that."

"Just like you said. It's _almost_ always right. But it's not _definitely_ always right." I said swiftly. "My projection said that I would always be a bottom of the barrel 3rd class, and I thought that it was true, until recently."

"And? Are you going to tell me that you're going to be a good 3rd class? Because that wouldn't be helping." He growled back at me, clearly thinking that I was messing with him. I shook my head and crossed my arms.

"I'm not too far away from becoming a 1st class." The look of surprise on their faces was more than enough to cause me to smirk. "Is that helpful?" I asked sarcastically.

"T-That's impossible." Karro stuttered, his eyes gazing at me with a new emotion. "You raised your power level that high?"

"I don't believe it. I heard around town that Taro kicked your ass and left you buried under trees. If you were close to being a 1st class, you would have beat him." Squash said in denial, his eyes watching me in suspicion. "What's your deal anyway? Until now, you've been being a real dick. Why'd you change your mind?"

I frowned at the comment. I opened my mouth to respond, only to close it a few moments later. Why did I change my mind? Was it because I knew what it felt like to feel weak? I shook my head and stood up.

"If you don't believe me, then whatever. You can stay weak and pathetic for all I care." I stood up and looked off into the city. "I'm going off to find my brother."

I wasn't expecting them to follow me, but as soon as I took off, I heard them flying closely behind.

"Do you even know where to look?" Karro asked me. I shrugged my shoulders and flew high into the sky so that I could get a clear view of the entire city. _That way, I can see everything_.

But there was nothing abnormal. The streets were completely empty. The longer that I stared down at them, the weirder I was beginning to feel. It _was _abnormal. _This entire place just feels wrong_.

"There's something off about this place. It's too quiet." I said aloud as I scanned the area. "For a place that's been abandoned for hundred of years, there's a surprising lack of animals. Not even a single flying creature."

"If your brother _really _worth our lives?" Squash's voice was calm and collected, stopping me in my tracks. I stared down at the city and let the words soak in.

From the moment I got back to Planet Vegeta, Tuunip was a pain in my ass. Not a day went by without him ridiculing me and tormenting me about my weakness. But when I started to train with him, I saw a glimpse of a different side of him. I could see bits of myself in him. He wasn't just a merciless bully. He was my brother.

"Yes." I replied after a few seconds. "He's family."

Before anyone could reply, I saw a small flash of light from the corner of my eye. I turned swiftly, my eyes locking onto the source of the light. A large square shaped building in the distance. It was probably the biggest building in the city, now that I saw it.

"He must be in there. Let's go." I didn't wait for a response before I flew over to the building as fast as I could. It took a few seconds to get there, so I slowed down and touched down right at the entrance.

The entrance of the building had a symbol with two crossing swords on it. I ignored it and with a low powered ki blast, I tore down the large double doors. The hallway that met me would have been dark for most others, _but not for me_. I took a few steps into the hallways, my eyes bouncing across the walls as I did.

I turned around briefly to make sure that Karro and Squash was following me, before proceeding onward. After a few minutes of walking, we came across a split in the hall. I looked at the alternative hallway and then looked back at Squash.

"Don't think I'm going in there on my own. I came here to fulfill my debt, not to play hero to your brother." Squash objected. I clenched my fists and took a deep breath.

"If you want to fulfil your debt, you'd go down that hallway and try to find my brother!" I argued back, causing him to turn his head.

"Whatever. He'd better be down there." Squash disappeared down the hallway, his words echoing behind him. _So difficult_. I shook my head and turned back to the other hallways, proceeding forward.

"You could have just sent me. I'm not scared of those Tuffles." Karro whispered to me, as he trailed very closely behind me. I rolled my eyes and looked back at him as we walked. _You look like your scared of your own shadow. But at least you're trying not to show it._

"Do you think they'll be waiting for us ahead?" He asked me.

"If Squash was right, and the Leviathan really are Tuffle technology, then maybe. I don't see what interest they'd have with this city, though." I mused as we walked.

"Well, it is the first city that we made on this planet. Maybe they're trying to get to know our species a little more." He suggested.

"Yeah, just to use that knowledge to wipe us out." I frowned. If they really were here, why didn't they show themselves? _There is no way that they didn't hear me breaking down the entrance._

"You know…" Karro started speaking. "When I first met you, I thought that you acted exactly like Tuunip. But the more I've been with you, the more I see that you're _different_. If I mentioned being weak in front of Tuunip, he would have beat me up and then laughed at me. But you didn't…"

I snorted dryly to myself as we walked. _That sounded just like Tuunip. _He really did hate it when people were weak, or acted soft.

"I know what it's like to be weak. To feel like you're destined to fail at anything you do. Feeling like everything you've done to survive has been for nothing." I said slowly. "I wouldn't look down at someone for having a low power level, because it means nothing if they can get stronger."

"What I'll look down on is people who accept being weak and don't try to get stronger. It's disgusting." I finished. I looked back at the kid, who seemed to be in deep thought for a moment.

"I don't want to be weak. But how did you go from a 3rd class to where you are now? What kind of training was you doing?" His voice was resolved, and I couldn't help but to look down at him in interest. _Maybe I misjudged him earlier._

"Hmm… I might be able to teach you a few or two…" I looked back ahead due to the sound of something in the distance. "That is, if we make it back alive."

"Don't worry about that, apes. You won't be leaving this city alive." The voice that reached me was deep and almost… Mechanical. My eyes widened in alarm as I locked my eyes on the figure ahead, who had emerged from another hallway that was connected to ours.. A blue beam of light sailed through the air towards us, but I managed to twist to the side, dodging the beam of energy before it could hit me.

"Tuffle…" I breathed out as I looked forward at the guy. _Sure seems like a Tuffle alright. _The man was shorter than me, and that was saying something. In his hand, he held something that looked rather interesting. I wasn't sure what it was, but it was what shot the energy beam at me. _I wonder if my observe would work on it?_

**Energy Rifle**

**Type: Tuffle Weapon**

**Description: This weapon harnesses ki from deep inside the user, enhances it, and then shoots it out at high speeds. If used in conjunction with an absorption item, it can use ki gathered from that, instead of the user ki.**

_Interesting_. _They probably have to use these weapons because they can't draw out their ki on their own. _I got into a fighting stance and my eyes fell onto the man, using observe on him.

**Sacrificial Soldier**

**Pears - Level 8**

**Age: 30**

**HP: 1,280**

**KI: [Locked]**

**Reputation: 0/10,000 Despised**

**Description: Pears was a child when the war began. His family was slaughtered, and he was given over to the war camps to train. Ever since, he's allowed his burning hatred for the Saiyans push him to do his best.**

**He offered himself up as a sacrifice, in hopes that their plan would succeed.**

**Currently feeling blood thirsty, and is fully intending on ripping you to shreds.**

**Power Level: 16**

_Power level of 16? _The laugh escaped my mouth not even a moment later. _Squash is honestly insane if he thinks that these low levels could kill Elites._

I lifted my hand towards Pears, gathering a ki ball that I was sure would turn him to dust. I looked over at Karro and saw him mirroring me, a small ball of red ki gathering in his hand.

"Fire." I ordered, my laughter ceasing. We both released our balls of ki in a burst; both balls exploding outwards violently, tearing the hallway into shreds. The walls quaked around us and dust formed in front of us.

"You think he's dead?" Karro asked me slowly, shock evident in his voice. I couldn't see either of them through the dust, but I knew something was definitely wrong. _He couldn't have survived that…_ _But I didn't get any experience points…_

Through the dust, a purple beam rocketed out, just as big as the one that we launched forward. My eyes widened in shock. I swiftly crossed my arms across my chest and channeled ki around my body for protection, just in time to get hit by the giant attack.

**-4000 Damage to Your Ki Shield**

I stood through the blast, gritting my teeth until the energy died down and dispersed into nothingness. _That was powerful. _ When it was officially gone, I lowered my arms and swiped at the dust, causing a large gust of wind to clear it away.

Standing in front of us now, was the same Tuffle, but wearing an entirely different attire. His entire body was covered in a white, slim fitted armor with a helmet to match. The armor didn't seem affected at all by our attack. There were a bunch of cables arcing from the back of his armor to his energy rifle,

"You like it?" Pears chuckled, his voice even more mechanically altered then before. He lifted his gun and puffed out his chest, as if to show off his armor. "With this on, you won't be a match for me at all."

"You're bluffing." I narrowed my eyes but didn't make a move. I heard some rubble shift around me, and saw Karro climbing out, coughing.

"Come, ape. So I can rip you to pieces." Pears said confidently, as he pointed his gun at me and fired. I briefly saw the cables connected to his gun flash blue, before the energy shot out.

I dodged to the side of the attack, before charging at him quickly. I dodged the next few energy beams until I was close enough to attack. When I got to a few feet from him, I jumped into the air, coming down with an energy ball already formed in my hand. I slammed the ball into his chest, only for the energy to completely disappear the moment it touched him.

His armor began to glow blue, the same color as my aura. The color shift started where my attack hit, but quick rippled across the entire armor; gathering at the area where the cables met the suit. Said blue color, which I quickly realized was my energy, slipped through the cables easily, making the gun glow bright.

"Surprised?" Pears voice was malicious, and a moment later, the rifles tip exploded, catching me right in my stomach at close range.

**-4000 Damage to Your Ki Shield**

The beam carried me away from Pears and I crashed into the side of one of the walls; easily breaking through it, sending me into another section of the building.

_What in the world..? Ki attacks won't work on him! _I stood up from the rubble and shook the dust out of my hair. _We'll have to try physical hits, then._

Before I could launch myself out of the hole in the wall, I looked around. My breath was caught in my throat immediately; my blood running cold.

"W-What is going on here…?"

All around me, the room was illuminated by the green light of healing tubs. Or, what looked like healing tubs. But it was what was inside of the healing tubs that made me feel like throwing up.

There were bodies. Hundreds of saiyan bodies. All laying in their own separate pods. From first glance I could tell that most of them were definitely dead. The rest, I wasn't sure. _Why are they keeping dead Saiyans in pods? _

_Is this what happened to Tuunip?_

I burst from the room with renewed vigor, locating Pears immediately. He was aiming and firing at Karro, who was dodging the beams of ki but hesitated to attack.

I flew down towards Pears, landing at his side. He turned towards me as my ki infused fist collided with the side of his helmet. Immediately, I followed up with a knee to his torso, and then a spinning kick to the side of his arm, sending him skidding a few feet back.

**-500 Damage to Enemy**

**Attacks Weakened Considerably by Armor!**

Only 500?! Did my ki infused attacked do nothing? _Oh… His armor can absorb ki… _I mentally slapped myself in the face. His armor probably absorbed the ki right out of my fist, while also weakening the strength of my ordinary punch. _Crap, this guy is crazy…_

"Still using ki, huh? You apes really are stupid savages." Pears lifted his gun and fired at me, but I growled and slapped the beam away.

"I don't have time for your games. You came here as a sacrifice, so you know that you can't win this fight." I growled at him, while thinking of a plan of attack. He didn't respond immediately, probably in shock that I knew his purpose for being there.

"You don't know what you're talking about. Just die!" He aimed his gun again, but I grinned, finally thinking of a plan. He fired another beam of energy at me, but I countered it with another beam. The dust and smoke that erupted from the clash spread through the air between us, blocking our views.

"I have an idea. Go and attack him head on." I whispered to Karro, who nodded his head without hesitation. Immediately, he turned towards where the Tuffle was and charged through the dust. _This better work._

The armor definitely enhanced the Tuffles physical movements and reaction speeds, but it didn't enhance them enough to match a Saiyan; proven by the fact that he couldn't react in time when I came at him at close range. That meant, that even if he could see me moving at high speeds, he wouldn't be able to stop me. In that case…

I burst through the dust cloud in a blur, taking off towards Pears as fast as I could. When I go to them, I ran right past him, before turning around quickly so that I was right behind the Tuffle. I reached around him and grabbed him in a tight hug, pinning his arms at his side. I heard him gasp in shock, and I grinned widely.

"Not so confident now, are you?" I said as I began to squeeze him. Tighter and tighter. I heard the armor beginning to crack under the pressure, and him wheezing.

"Y-You won't win… The war…" He gasped at me, despite the pain I could hear in his voice. I shook my head and gave him another squeeze. Slowly, we started to lift off of the ground. Due to the battle, the hallway got destroyed, leaving a hole to the outside. I flew out of the hole and began to fly into the sky with him still in my grip.

"I don't give a damn about the war, because we'll crush you. Just like I'm going to kill you now. No competition, right?" I chuckled. Soon enough, we were up in the clouds. I began to loosen my grip on him slowly.

"Any last words, before you fall to your death?" I asked him. While I did, I let go of the grip and let him fall for a few seconds, before grabbing him by the leg and dangling him. To my surprise, he didn't scream.

"Yes, actually…" He said slowly, his helmet retreating to reveal his face. He scowled at me, before grinning wildly. "Operation Second Birth activation immediately…"

"What?" I asked in confusion. When he didn't respond, I felt panic suddenly begin to seize me. "What does that mean?"

The only respond that he gave me was a loud laughing. I growled in annoyance, before shrugging and letting go of his leg. I watched in disinterest as he fell from the sky like a rock. Once I saw him crash into the ground and burst like a bug under a boot, I flew back down to the hole I left in the building and climbed in. _Whatever that Second Birth thing is, it doesn't sound good. I need to find Tuunip. _

Before I could get far, I saw a notification about experience for killing Pears, quickly followed by my body tingling wildly. I paused and remembered the sensation, letting it take over me without panicking.

**Level up!**

**2 Attribute Points Awarded!**

I felt my power level soaring; the energy within me overflowing. I took a second to get used to the feeling. The _strength_. I flexed my muscles and took a deep breath. _What's my status?_

**Ping!**

**Status Sheet**

**Name: Sprout**

**Occupation: Gamer**

**Level: 3(200/3500)**

**Race: Saiyan**

**Age: 13**

**HP: 7,200**

**Ki: 27,360**

**Strength: 12**

**Endurance: 10**

**Agility: 5**

**Intelligence: 8**

**Luck: 8**

**Energy Modification Level: 7.6**

**Attribution Points: 4**

**Power Level: 2736**

Wow… _This feel just as good as the first time_…

I was only 264 away from being a first class. I would finally be able to make Father and Mother proud. _I'm stronger than Cauliflo now. I'll finally be able to get my revenge. He'll regret trying to crush my pride and soiling my name…_

My heart lurched out of my chest suddenly; The most inhumane scream that I'd ever heard in my life reached my ears. I swiveled around as quickly as I could, my eyes straining to see in the darkness.

I was frozen in shock at what I saw. I didn't even react when Karro and Squash, who was carrying an unconscious Tuunip on his back, popped up behind me and screamed at me that we needed to go. No…

Because what I was laying my eyes on, was probably the strangest thing I'd ever seen…

Out of the hole that I made earlier, the Saiyans that I had believed to be dead were piling out of the room in hordes, climbing over each other like beasts. Their eyes were a blazing scarlet, and their skin was rotted down to the flesh and bone. _I thought they were dead… No… _A stench that I recognized immediately violated my nose. _They are dead…_

_What… The… Fuck…._

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! :P As some of you may know, I've been answering reviews by PMing the reviewer, so if you have a question, just review the chapter and I'll get back to you.**

**Let me know what you thought about the chapter in the reviews! What do you think will happen next?**


	6. A Dark Night

**Chapter 2: ** A Dark Night

"I told you that this was a bad idea! Come on, we need to go!"

I was snapped out of my shock and horror by Squash, who grabbed me by my arm and dragged me back and through the hallway. I couldn't tear my eyes off of the horde of _dead Saiyans_ that were apparently _alive and chasing after us._

"What are they?!" Karro screamed in shock as we ran through the hallway, away from the fast-approaching group of… Whatever they were. I gathered myself and slapped Squash's hand away; allowing me to run on my own. I snatched the unconscious Tuunip off of his back and put him on mine.

"Where are we going?! We need to get out of here!" I yelled at the two leading me. I could barely hear myself think over the ungodly shrieking from behind us.

"There are more Saiyans! Alive ones! We found them when we found Tuunip!" Karro shouted back at me over the noise. My heart pumped in my chest in understanding. _What were they doing here?!_

I looked over my shoulder at the swarm, finally gathering the nerve to use **[Observe]** on one of those _things_.

**Undead Saiyan**

**[Nameless] - Level 4**

**Age: 230**

**HP: 3,920 (Increasing)**

**KI: 200 [Increasing]**

**Reputation: [N/A]**

**Description: A mindless husk of the Saiyan that he used to be. He was killed during the Tuffle invasion of the Lost City, but his body was preserved; only to be brought back by Tuffle technology.**

**His mind is empty and the Saiyan that possessed this body is dead. The only thing left is an itching desire to **_**devour**_**.**

**Power Level: 784**

I looked away just as we slipped into a room and slammed the doors shut us. The doors were made of powerful-looking metal, but I knew that it wouldn't hold. We swiftly locked the door from all possible angles, and I used my ki to heat the metal until it merged with the wall that it was connected to.

"Is anyone going to answer me?! What are those things?!" Karro's panicked voice echoed throughout the room. I composed myself and turned towards them both.

"They're Saiyans that died but were brought back to life by Tuffles…" I said slowly. When I said it out loud, it sounded like a joke. A horrible, horrible joke.

"Which one is it? Are they dead, or alive?" Squash asked me frantically. All of our eyes suddenly snapping to the door when the sound of a loud impact reached our ears.

"Both," I replied in a breath, before spinning on my heel and taking in the room around me. It was lit up, unlike the rest of the compound. My eyes quickly fell on a group of completely nude Saiyans huddles in a corner. They looked to be of varying ages, but they all had the same strange look on their faces. One long glance at them, and I knew that _something_ was wrong.

"Why do they look like that?!" I asked impatiently and with caution. I threw my hand up and a ki ball formed swiftly. They didn't react to the threat, though. Instead, they just huddled closer together, watching me with slightly agape mouths and wide eyes.

"I don't know! But they aren't like those... Those... Whatever they are!" Squash said to me, placing his hand on mine and lowering it. A sudden banging on the door, followed by a shrieking yell made me scowl.

"Why are we here anyway?! We have Tuunip, we can go!" I shouted at them both, the sudden realization hit me. _What are they trying to do?_

"We can't leave them behind! They're Saiyans too! If we leave them here, they'll die!" Squash shouted at me, his face inflamed with passion. I shook my head and shoved past him. With one upward motion, I used a ki blast to puncture a hole right through the ceiling.

"I'm not here to play hero! They're as good as dead!" I looked back at them both as I began to fly upwards, towards the ceiling. I locked eyes with Karro. "If you want to be soft and weak; be a hero. You'll die trying."

With that, I flew upwards and out of the facility with Tuunip safely on my back. Before flying away, I hesitated, my eyes gazing at the hole. _What am I waiting for?_

I released the breath that I didn't know that I was holding when I saw Karro emerge from the hole after me. _Wait, why am I relieved? _I shook my head and cleared my thoughts because not even a moment later, the hole that I had created was stretched into oblivion due to dozens of decaying bodies bursting through it at once. _All in hot pursuit of Karro._

"Come on!" I shouted back at him while turning in the air and bursting forward towards the edge of the city. Back in the direction of our home. _Where is Squash? That idiot must have gotten himself killed!_

I looked back towards Karro, only to realize that the undead Saiyans were actually _flying_ after us. _They did have a small amount of their ki left._ Karro was keeping a good distance from them, but my eyes widened in shock when I saw even more of the undead monsters pouring out of _every_ building in the city.

I turned back to the edge of the city and sped towards it, a little faster than before. Underneath me and from the corner of my eye, I could see hundreds, maybe thousands of those things flying up to meet us in the air. Their combined sound was like a low buzzing.

"Fly up and straight! There are too many!" I shouted back at him, hoping that he would hear me. Instead of flying straight forward, I flew at an angle, going up and forward at the same time.

I got to the edge within a few moments, followed by Karro a few seconds later. I wasn't planning on stopping; until I heard a sudden silence. An almost deafening silence. I heard Karro slow down behind me, breathing heavily. I slowed down and turned around.

"What the hell is going on?" I said through labored breaths.

As if stopped by an invisible barrier, each and every one of the Saiyan undead were halted at the edge of the city. Together, they created a blanket of bodies. I shivered when I realized that their combined glare was directly on us.

"They… Stopped?" Karro asked me upon seeing what I was seeing. "Why?"

I couldn't answer the question, even if I wanted to. _This is the most bizarre and terrifying thing that I've ever experienced. _

"It doesn't matter. We need to go before they start attacking again." I decided finally, but before I could take off, I saw someone break through the blanket of bodies. _Squash…_

Once he got out of the city's edge, his body fell like a ragdoll with its strings cut. He kept falling until he crashed into the desert ground. We both flew down to ground level, landing a few feet from his body. I kept my eyes up at the wall but was shocked when I glanced down at Squash's body.

His left arm was completely missing, and his right leg was torn off at the knee. Blood coated his entire body, the sticky substance making his clothes cling to his skin like a wetsuit. The closer I looked, the more I began to see multiple strange marks. _Are those… Teeth marks? _

To my surprise, he was still breathing.

"I… I couldn't leave them… Like I left my family… I just couldn't…" His voice was extremely weak and feeble. Underneath the blood, I could see that his skin had become deathly pale. _I've seen enough death to know that_ _he's going to die soon. He has a few hours at maximum. _

"Don't worry, you'll be with your parents in hell soon enough," I said, trying to console him. I lifted my hand towards his downed body, an energy ball forming at the end of it. Karro's eyes widened and he put a hand out towards me.

"No! He's dying anyway! Let him die due to his battle injuries, like a true Saiyan!" Karro argued, his eyes fiery. A few moments later, I nodded my head and lowered my arm.

"We might be able to get back to the city in time, right?" Karro asked, although even he sounded uncertain. I looked down at Squash's injuries, and then back up at the wall of flesh and darkness behind us. They were still piling up. Now, they were completely blocking out the sun, creating an immense looming shadow.

"I have an idea." Karro's voice was a whisper. I chose to ignore it in favor of examining more of the monsters in front of me. There was an army of them. Their power level fluctuated, but their ki was still low. How could they have such a high power level? Did this 'game' that applied to me not apply to them?

Or was there something here that I wasn't understanding?

"Let's go." Karro began to fly again, this time with Squash on his back. I flew ahead of him, but with my front still facing the wall. I took a look over at Squash, surprised to notice that his amputated body parts looked almost sealed shut, but were now extremely darkened.

"What did you do to him?" I asked the kid, who kept his gaze straight and slowly increased his speed. It was clear that the experience was getting to him.

"I used my ki to burn his wounds shut. That way, he won't bleed out until we get back." He told me, his voice low and quiet. Huh, that was a smart technique. I hadn't thought of that.

"**Operation Second Birth has been initiated."**

A booming metallic voice emitted from the lost city, my eyes narrowing considerably in reaction. _That was what the Tuffle had said before he died. _

"**The Tuffle Empire will now stand up and reclaim this planet as our rightful home! For too long we have waited! Go, my army of abomination! Kill! Devour! DESTROY THE SAIYAN MONKEYS!**" 

"What does that mean?" Karro's voice was uncertain. It felt like my heart had fallen right out of my chest. Breathing was becoming harder, and I noticed myself shaking involuntarily.

"They're following us…" My voice was as firm as I could manage in this situation; unfortunately, that meant that it was barely over a whisper. "Fly! Now! Don't look back!"

I grabbed Karro by the shirt and put all of my ki into flying at top speed. It was faster than I'd ever flown in my life, but no matter how fast I flew, I couldn't get away from the feeling of dread that was bubbling up inside of me. I tried to shake it off but this time it just wouldn't go away.

One glance back left me feeling nauseous. The sky was black with only small rays of light coming through. The sand was more like a tempestuous ocean, churning and waving; lashing outwards and revealing dozens of metal Leviathans hidden underneath.

If they got to my town… Would we be able to stop this?

We got to our town much, much quicker than we had previously. On the way, the rewards for the missions **[****Find Tuunip!]** and the **[****Raise Your Power Level To At least 2000!]** came in, giving me 5000 EXP. It helped me level up but I didn't have the time to check out how much stronger that it made me.

Our town was just as rowdy as ever, people flying around and going about their day. Once we arrived, I let go of Karro and gave him a stern look.

"Warn as many people as possible! Get them to leave! No matter what it takes!" I turned around and looked far into the horizon. There wasn't any sign of them yet, but I knew that it wasn't long before they came.

"What about you?!" Karro asked me through strained breaths. I had made him keep up with me, even going as far as to drag him at certain points. "And what about Squash?"

I wasn't entirely sure if Squash was still alive. His skin was a sickly pale and he wasn't moving. He stopped mumbling in his sleep a while ago. I stopped to consider it for a moment but it didn't take me long to reach a conclusion. What use would it be if Squash lived but our town was destroyed by the Tuffles? One Saiyan life did not overshadow the life of everyone else. Especially when his injuries were his own fault. But looking at Karro, I knew that he wouldn't understand.

"I'll get help. Now, give him to me. I'll bring him somewhere." I told him, offering my free arm. He nodded and let me take the near-corpse. "Now, hurry!"

Karro went off in one direction and I took off in the direction of my home. When we were out of Karro's field of view, I let my arm go limp, allowing Squash's unmoving body to fall from my grip. I didn't look back, but I knew that he had a very long drop. I couldn't have any distractions.

"Pretty cruel. Maybe you're more Saiyan then I thought…" Tuunip's voice was scratchy, but he seemed fine. He woke up about half an hour ago but kept mostly quiet.

"If you could stop being a dick for just a minute, that would be appreciated," I growled back at him. He didn't respond, but it didn't matter. He was alive and that is what was important.

"Dad!" I shouted into the house as I entered the front door. I shouted again another time, and thankfully he came from around a corner. He looked as pissed as ever but had a look of interest when he saw Tuunip on my back.

"What do you wa-"

"The Tuffles! They're coming!" I cut him off before he could finish his sentence. Usually, that would earn me a punch in the face, but this time his face became devoid of emotion.

"Are you certain?" His voice was low. I nodded my head frantically, while letting Tuunip get off of my back. "I found Tuunip in the Lost City, but it turns out that the Tuffles were doing experiments on Saiyans and creating monsters. When we escaped, we saw an entire army of them and Leviathans things made of metal marching towards us."

He took a step back for a second, his thinking face on. While he did, I silently thought about how exactly this fight would go down.

Our city wasn't well known for its warriors. That army would sweep through us like a blade through flesh. What could we do?

"Let's go. We need to warn the Prince." Father decided. He was already heading for the door before I could react. I follow behind him and Tuunip follows behind me, albeit slower.

One thing about my Father was that he never wanted to talk about Saiyan royalty. When I came back from my assignment I was curious. That earned me a broken arm and nose.

To think that this threat was deadly enough that it forced my Father to willing go to meet royalty was spine chilling. We followed him in relative silence, and soon we approached a large building. It was just like most Saiyan houses, made of stones that were melded together by ki. Except that this house was much larger, and the stones looked much cleaner.

At the front door, two Saiyan warriors with the royal insignia stood with folded arms. We touched down right in front of them and my Father took the lead.

"We need to speak with Prince Grapea." He stood up to his full height, which was above average. He easily overshadowed the guards, but they still had smug looks on their faces.

**Guard**

**Po - Level 10**

**Reputation: 0/1000 Neutral**

**Guard**

**Cha - Level 10**

**Reputation: 0/1000 Neutral**

"Bold of you to assume you were welcome here." Po, one of the guards mocked. I raised an eyebrow in confusion, but let the conversation continue. "Not after what you did."

_What_? I looked from the guard to my Father's blank face. _What did he mean?_

"What I did was for the betterment of the Saiyan race. And if you don't think so…"

I didn't see Father move, but I definitely saw Po's dead body slump to the ground a second later, with his head flattened into the wall like a paste. My eyes widened in alert, but I didn't dare to show any weakness. I stood up straight and noticed that Tuunip followed suit.

Cha's fear was palpable, and he quickly stood out of the way of the door. We entered the house shortly after. There were a few people, women and kids, but they quickly ran away from us and into another room. We followed, finding what we were looking for.

A short man sat on a throne of metal, surrounded bodyguards. His concubines and children flocked around the shocked man, who stood up in alert, his face turning into a scowl.

His hair was light brown, almost red. He had a small crown on his head, signifying his position. _He's the prince of this town? He looks scrawny. I wonder what observe will say about him_.

**Prince of Southeast City**

**Grapea - Level 15**

**Age: 20**

**HP: 120,000**

**KI: 3,000,000**

**Reputation: 0/500 Hated**

**Description: Grapea is a headstrong Saiyan, extremely prideful and selfish. His parents died in the middle of the war, forcing him to take the mantle, despite being only 20.**

**Grapea's family tree branches off from a distant cousin of Vegeta the 1st. Due to being one of the weakest family lines, they were given the territory furthest away from Vegeta City.**

**Currently is on edge due to Omato's presence.**

**Power Level: 30,000**

_30,000? He's a lot stronger then he looks. _I looked between my Father and Grapea. They were having an intense staring competition, neither letting up.

_Why is Grapea so on edge? And why does he hate me?_

"Grapea, it's been a long time." Father's voice cut the silence. He took a step towards the prince, who stood his ground. "I have urgent news."

"Why are you here? You have no right to be in the presence of Royalty!" Grapea sheathed, baring his teeth. "The terms for you to be allowed in my territory we-"

"I KNOW the terms." I hadn't heard my Father's voice so loud before. I would have covered my ears if it wasn't a sign of weakness. Grapea shut right up, his face going a shade paler.

"Then you understand that showing your face in front of me means that you, and your entire family, will be banished from Southeast City?" Grapea said slowly. He almost sounded relieved; while I couldn't be more confused. But I knew better than to interrupt.

"If we don't act quickly, there won't be a Southeast City to be banished from."

Grapea looked interested now, and it didn't take long for my Father to explain what I'd told him. Grapea looked at me and Tuunip, and then back at Father, and then back at us.

His look was one of deep contemplation. His children and many wives were ushered out of the room, and we all waited in painful silence as the Prince thought. It took a minute or two for him to respond, but when he did, his voice was calm.

"We will have a silent evacuation of the soldiers and valuable individuals." Grapea decided finally. I raised an eyebrow at the decision. "No need to warn the commoners."

"Evacuation? That's for cowards!" Tuunip spoke out, determination to fight clear in his tone. I had no such conviction but to each their own.

"It's a tactical retreat, _boy._" Grapea's eyes fell to Tuunip, his words dripping with annoyance. "Keep your mouth _shut_ when the adults are talking."

I felt the Prince's ki leek out of his body, filling the room quickly. Tuunip's mouth clamped shut, but his eyes were boring directly into Grapea's. His hand balled into fists and I was on my toes. I didn't come all of this way, just for Tuunip to get killed in a fight with one of the Saiyan Princes.

"Evacuation is necessary." Father's voice calmed the tension. I let out a sigh of relief, but the situation turned sour with his next words. "But we need to evacuate everyone. Not just valuable Saiyans."

"_Everyone_?" Grapea almost burst into laughter. "Don't be insane. That would take too much time. Valuable time that we could use to get to the next city and warn them of the Tuffle's upheaval. They're not important enough."

The room became thick with ki energy, but it wasn't from the Prince this time. I felt myself almost choking on the aura that was coming off of my Father in waves. His face had become one of rage and disgust.

"Not important enough?! Tell me, _Prince, _aren't you the ruler of ALL of the Saiyans in your province?! The person who's vowed to protect them?!" The house shook around us, and I took a few steps backward. Surprisingly, Grapea didn't look afraid anymore. Instead, he looked furious. _His pride_ _is overriding his rational thoughts._

"If they have no purpose and are weak, they aren't even worthy of being called a Saiyan!" The Prince took a step towards my Father, his fists clenched tightly. "Just like _you_! Too soft for your own good! So soft that you got your own Father kill-"

Grapea's next words were lost to history because, in a blur of movement, he was lifted up in the air by his throat. My Father let out a primal growl as his fingers dug deeper into Grapea's throat. Two of the Prince's guards tried to approach, but a lash of Father's aura send them flying out of the side of the building.

_J-Just how strong is he? _I thought in shock as I looked on from the other end of the room. _If Grapea has a power level of 30,000, how high is Dad's power level?_

"Soft?" He tightened his grip considerably on Grapea's neck, lifting him higher. The young Prince couldn't do anything against it. He looked like an animal caught in the jaws of a predator. His eyes were wide in alert. Mine followed in quick pursuit when I heard my Father's next words.

"You forget your place, _cousin_."

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could even react, the sound of screaming broke out from outside. We all turned towards the holes in the halls. It was dark outside as if the sun had already set.

"But it's midday…" Tuunip remarked slowly, the situation not dawning on him yet. Or on anyone else for that matter. But I knew what it was.

"They're here."

The ground opened up beneath us, giving way into the eager mouth of a Leviathan.

* * *

**I've returned! And I don't plan on leaving for now :p I've had a very busy last few months, but I'm back. Sorry if the chapter is a little short. And yes, plot twists! If you didn't understand, you'll understand soon! Large battle incoming next chapter! **

**Review if you liked it! If you didn't, well... Review anyway :p **


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